How was the Stanford experiment conceived -
The Stanford Experiment was conceived as a way to use ordinary college students explore the often
volatile dynamic that exists in between prisoners and prison guards.
What was the overall purpose of the experiment -
The purpose of the experiment was to study behavior and psychological consequences of becoming
prisoner or prison guard, to do that they decided to simulate a prison environment, both physically and
mentally and then to observe the effects of the institution on all those within its walls.
What societal issues or social phenomenon lead Dr Zimbardo to create the SPE? -
The Stanford prison experiment was a social psychology experiment influenced by the Milgram
experiment that attempted to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the
struggle between prisoners and prison officers
Consider the steps of the Scientific Method, and think of each step in the scientific method as question.
Now use the SPE to answer each step of the scientific method as if it were a question posed to you. -
The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the
development of science since at least the 17th century. It involves careful observation, applying rigorous
skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the
observation. It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations;
experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and
refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings. These are principles
of the scientific method, as distinguished from a definitive series of steps applicable to all scientific
enterprises.
3. Identify the independent and depend variables? -
1. Independent Variable: What role they played (prisoner or prison guard)
2. Dependent Variable: Behavior (How obedient they were)
How many participants were part of the (SPE), how much were the participants paid to play the role of
prisoner or guard, how long was the experiment supposed to last vs how long did it actually last? -
