Stanford Prison Experiment

Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Intro
• Issues
  • Methodology
  • Ethical
  • Generalization and Validity

Intro

The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE), conducted in 1971 by psychologist Philip Zimbardo.

Issues

Methodology

• Lack of Scientific Rigor: lacked clear operational definitions and standardized procedures.
• Zimbardo himself acted as the prison superintendent, blurring the line between observer and participant, compromising objectivity.
• Demand Characteristics: Both "prisoners" and "guards" was given instruction of how to behave, so the action and its consequence was not genuine.
• Small and Unrepresentative Sample: Only a group of 24 colleges students (mostly white and middle-class)

Ethical

• Lack of Informed Consent: The participants are not informed of potential psychological distress.
• Lack of Protection of Participants from Psychological Harm: Some participants (mostly plays prisoners) experience emotional and psychological distress
• Lack of Right to Withdraw: Participants are not allowed to leave
• Dual Roles and Conflict of Interest: Zimbardo act as both observer and superintendent, influecing the research himself

Generalization and Validity

• Failed to Generalization anything due to difficulty in Reproducing
• Scripted and Instructed Behavior