The prisoners were taunted with insults and petty orders, they were given pointless and boring tasks to accomplish, and they were generally dehumanized. Some even began siding with the guards against prisoners who did not obey the rules. They started taking the prison rules very seriously, as though they were there for the prisoners’ benefit and infringement would spell disaster for all of them. They ‘told tales’ on each other to the guards.
They talked about prison issues a great deal of the time. The prisoners soon adopted prisoner-like behavior too.
More importantly, they provided a regular occasion for the guards to exercise control over the prisoners. The counts served as a way to familiarizing the prisoners with their numbers. prisoners were awakened from sleep by blasting whistles for the first of many "counts." Within hours of beginning the experiment some guards began to harass prisoners. Within a very short time both guards and prisoners were settling into their new roles, with the guards adopting theirs quickly and easily. Zimbardo observed the behavior of the prisoners and guards (as a researcher), and also acted as a prison warden. Thought was necessary to maintain law and order in the prison and to command the respect of the prisoners. Guards were instructed to do whatever they Three guards worked shifts of eight hours each (the other guards remained on call). Sunglasses, to make eye contact with prisoners impossible. They also had a tight nylon cap to cover their hair, and a locked chain around one ankle. Their clothes comprised a smock with their number written on it, but no underclothes. Only refer to himself and the other prisoners by Each prisoner had toīe called only by his ID number and could They were issued a uniform, and referred to by their number only. When the prisoners arrived at the prison they were stripped naked, deloused, had all their personal possessions removed and locked away, and were given prison clothes and bedding. Then they were blindfolded and driven to the psychology department of Stanford University, where Zimbardo had had the basement set out as a prison, with barred doors and windows, bare walls and small cells. They were fingerprinted, photographed and ‘booked.’ Prisoners were treated like every other criminal, being arrested at their own homes, without warning, and taken to the local police station. There were two reserves, and one dropped out, finally leaving ten prisoners and 11 guards. Participants were randomly assigned to either the role of prisoner or guard in a simulated prison environment.
The participants did not know each other prior to the study and were paid $15 per day to take part in the experiment. The 75 applicants who answered the ad were given diagnostic interviews and personality tests to eliminate candidates with psychological problems, medical disabilities, or a history of crime or drug abuse.Ģ4 men judged to be the most physically & mentally stable, the most mature, & the least involved in antisocial behaviors were chosen to participate. Study of the psychological effects of prison life. He advertised asking for volunteers to participate in a To study the roles people play in prison situations, Zimbardo converted a basement of the Stanford University psychology building into a mock prison. Zimbardo predicted the situation made people act the way they do rather than their disposition (personality). Zimbardo and his colleagues (1973) were interested in finding out whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards (i.e., dispositional) or had more to do with the prison environment (i.e., situational).įor example, prisoner and guards may have personalities which make conflict inevitable, with prisoners lacking respect for law and order and guards being domineering and aggressive.Īlternatively, prisoners and guards may behave in a hostile manner due to the rigid power structure of the social environment in prisons.