The few parents who were concerned about the prison conditions appealed to the superintendent, Zimbardo, for special treatment, just as the parent of a real prisoner would (Zimbardo, 1999). A parole board was convened, and participants were given the opportunity to leave as long as they were willing to give up the participation fee. Ethical Issues of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Philosophies . They felt a sense of empowerment when given responsibilities. There were a few prisoners who became ill due to the stressful conditions, and Zimbardo made it difficult for those participants to leave. The experiment was intended to be conducted for two weeks, but conditions were such that it had to be shut down after six days. this book provides a discussion of ethical issues devoted specifically to a particular method (e.g., experimental design, survey), this chapter will highlight the general ethical considerations everyone should consider before beginning his or her research. There were both expected and unexpected results. Ethics and the Stanford Prison Experiment In 1971 Philipp Zimbardo carried out one of the most ethically controversial psychological experiment the ‘Stanford Prison Experiment’. On the fourth day, Zimbardo tried to move the experiment to an actual jail in order to prevent escape, but his efforts were thwarted by the Palo Alto Police Department for insurance reasons. This was the eventual end of the Stanford Prison Experiment. "You must agree to out terms of services and privacy policy", Don't use plagiarized sources. Unexpectedly, the prisoners were arrested by the actual Palo Alto Police Department, booked and jailed. One of the primary ethical concerns of SPE was the lack of fully informed consent (McLeod, 2016). The consent form mentions a loss of privacy and the limitations involved with trying to leave the experiment early, but it does not say anything about the conditions under which the prisoners eventually found themselves (Zimbardo, 1971). Furthermore, the subjects were dehumanized and taunted, and … The Stanford Prison Experiment was designed in 1971 to test the hypothesis that prisoners and guards are self-selecting; this means that the individuals have certain characteristics that 1) determine the group to which they belong; and, 2) encourage undesirable behavior in the group members. did not have any firsthand knowledge about prisons prior to conducting the (Newman, et.al., 2002 p. 53) In regard to law enforcement, the experiment taught the researchers how important it is to treat prisoners humanely. §  They truly began to see the prisoner participants as threats to §  Their unjust treatment of the prisoners became more brutal as It was expected that the participants would get into their roles, but not to the extent to which it occurred. This leaves them confused and often dehumanized as they are ignored by law enforcement personnel. Before bringing in the prisoners, the guards received an orientation in which they were told that physical violence was not permitted and that they could run the prison however they wished. Unfortunately, it is common in most prison systems. Sorry, but copying text is forbidden on this website. This is not a stretch from what happens in a real prison. Prisoners were quick to accept the authority of the prison guards and to surrender themselves to the prison environment. Slide Show. The participants were primarily white, middle class males who were college undergraduates. If you need this or any other sample, we can send it to you via email. "2 Other critics suggest that the study lacks gener… of being arrested and detained. In this video we will learn about the findings and method of Zimbardo's study. Get Your Custom Essay on, By clicking “Write my paper”, you agree to our, By clicking Send Me The Sample you agree on the, An Ethical Analysis of the Stanford Prison Experiment, Asch’s Study, Milgram Experiment, and Stanford Prison Experiment, Outline and Evaluate Zimbardo's Prison Experiment, Stanford Prison Experiment to the Atrocities at Abu Ghraib Prison, https://graduateway.com/ethical-implications-of-the-stanford-prison-experiment/, Get your custom The experiment is important because it demonstrated how easy it is for prisons to become inhumane, run by guards who treat prisoners like objects rather than people. competence, based on their education, training and supervised experience. This code requires researchers to avoid harm and to The most unexpected result was that Zimbardo himself had trouble separating himself from the experiment: It wasn’t until much later that I realized how far into my prison role I was at that point — that I was thinking like a prison superintendent rather than a research psychologist. They would not be permitted to wear underwear, but they would wear a stocking cap to simulate having their heads shaven, and a small chain to reinforce the idea of captivity. Retrieved January 10, 2007, from Stanford prison experiment Web site: http://www.prisonexp.org/slide-21.htm, Ethical Implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Prisoners were assigned numbers in place of their names. In my opinion, I think it was ethical to do this experiment because they were trying to see what the reaction would be if they split up people being guards and prisoners. 4. This means that it was the situation of being imprisoned that caused their behavior, their behavior was not caused by personality quirks. He allowed the guards to run the prison as they wished and did not intervene when it became clear that the prison was out of control. §  They were placed in solitary confinement at times. minimize harm where it is unavoidable. Past Ethical Issues- Stanford Prison Experiment and Abu Ghraib; References in Popular Culture; Original Experiment Videos; Ethics in Action; The Debriefing Process; Twitter; Facebook; Google+; GitHub; WordPress.com; About. Der Versuch wurde 1971 von den US-amerikanischen Psychologen Philip Zimbardo, Craig Haney und Curtis Banks an der Stanford University durchgeführt und vorzeitig abgebrochen. (APA,2002) In the SPE, the Many of the steps taken in the experiment were unethical, one being the fact that the subjects were arrested without consent. Zimbardo expected that, as a defense, the guards in charge of the Iraqi prisoners would state that their environment dictated their actions. A. type of food given to the subjects B. blurred boundaries between researcher and subject C. cost of the experiment D. ease of participating in the experiment A. type of food given to the subjects B. blurred boundaries between researcher and subject C. cost of the experiment D. ease of participating in the experiment . b. Standard Code 3.04, Avoiding Harm___________________. For example, the Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted by Stanford University is well-known for its questionable and controversial research methods. Prisoners have no choice but to put up with the conditions of the prison to which they’re assigned; no one takes their complaints seriously. (2007 Jan 4). We can see this on the social psychology experiment of Phillip Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) of 1971 when the results and conclusions from the experimenters were released to the public it was only matter of time for criticism to invade it causing controversy over both scientific and ethic rigors. Additionally, what are the ethical issues in the Stanford Prison Experiment? All you need to do is fill out a short form and submit an order. Later on, he claimed that the experiment’s “social forces and environmental contingencies” had led the guards to behave badly. Stanford Prison Experiment Ethical Issues Are Always. Additionally, the participants who were selected as prisoners did not give consent to being arrested at their own homes because the … While Zimbardo had all participants sign informed consent forms, even he did not know what would happen due to the unpredicatable nature of the experiment (Zimbardo et al., 2000). Zimbardo not only had an ethical responsibility to prepare the participants for all possibilities, but he should have shut down the experiment once he realized that the participants playing the role of the prisoners were quickly having emotional and physical problems. There was a riot on the second day, which guards volunteered to work overtime, without pay, in order to quash. Twenty-four males (who were mostly white and middle class) were finally selected, though only eighteen would be required for the experiment. 6. Psychologically, the experiment supported cognitive dissonance theory, in which a person’s reality changes to dramatically from what he or she is used to that they have no choice but to accept and embrace the new circumstances. Psychologists and law enforcement learned that without specific rules, guidelines and limits, it is easy for prison guards to escape into their roles and to treat prisoners inhumanely. The experiment could not be replicated by researchers today because it fails to meet the standards established by numerous ethical codes, including the Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association. They had no experience with prison, losing their freedom, or with any of the conditions that were forced upon them. With the exception of the riots, the prisoners accepted the inhumane treatment, and the majority did not attempt to leave. Ethical Implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment. The Stanford Prison Experiment was designed in 1971 to test the hypothesis that prisoners and guards are self-selecting; this means that the individuals have certain characteristics that 1) determine the group to which they belong; and, 2) encourage undesirable behavior in the group members. Either of them could have been a guard or a prisoner. 6. He had volunteered in order to “expose” our study, which he mistakenly thought was an establishment tool to find ways to control student radicals. Das Stanford-Prison-Experiment (deutsch: das Stanford-Gefängnis-Experiment) war ein psychologisches Experiment zur Erforschung menschlichen Verhaltens unter den Bedingungen der Gefangenschaft, speziell unter den Feldbedingungen des echten Gefängnislebens. student(prisoners) were subjected to extreme emotional trauma. In 1971 Philipp Zimbardo carried out one of the most ethically controversial psychological experiment the ‘Stanford Prison Experiment’. The experiment was perceived by many to involve questionable ethics, the most serious concern being that it was continued even after participants expressed their desire to withdraw. Next, the experiment proved that prisoners and guards alike succumbed to the situational attributes of behavior. Help, Use multiple resourses when assembling your essay, Get help form professional writers when not sure you can do it yourself, Use Plagiarism Checker to double check your essay, Do not copy and paste free to download essays. The Stanford Prison Experiment shed new light on how prisoners should be treated, in light of the fact that prisoners and guards alike quickly fall into their roles and adopt a mentality according to their position. Zimbardo acknowledges the ethical problems with the study, suggesting that "although we ended the study a week earlier than planned, we did not end it soon enough. The same also applies to any experiment where the participants are physically harmed. This content was COPIED from BrainMass.com - View the original, and get the already-completed solution here! The guards meted out sadistic punishments and the prisoners accepted it. He admitted being more concerned with a potential escape plan than focusing on his experiment. While this is an exaggeration of how suspects are usually arrested, it is not far off. they got deeper into their roles, Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. The prisoners were told to wait at home on a particular day and that they would be called on when it was time for the experiment to begin. Retrieved January 9, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment, Saletan, W (2004 May 12). Ethical issues in human research typically arise in relation to population groups that are vulnerable to abuse ("Human Experimentation: An Introduction to the Ethical Issues”). The participants were recruited through a newspaper ad and underwent tests to ensure that they were physically and psychologically sound before being admitted to the experiment. Research Ethics and. The Stanford Prison Experiment immediately came under attack on methodological and ethical grounds. Dr. Phillip Zimbardo paid volunteers to take part in the experiment. After converting the basement of the Stanford Psychology Department into a mock jail, it was decided that guards would wear uniforms derived from a military surplus store and prisoners would wear poorly-fitting muslin smocks and rubber sandals. The Stanford Prison Experiment had many issues that started a chain of problems within the experiment. § In reading and researching the Stanford Prison Experiment, all of the code violations mentioned above were easily recognizable. One of the ethical issues surrounding the Stanford prison experiment was the _____. Two patients who appeared early on to be traumatized were replaced. At the time, the Stanford Prison Experiment caused a great deal of controversy and was heavily criticized, but what are the Zimbardo prison experiment ethical issues and was criticism of the experiment justified? Today, the experiment is used in comparison with the treatment of the Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. This study highlights the need for informed consent and guides future researchers in how (not) to conduct a valid research study. Any experiment that places its participants under enormous psychological stress could be considered unethical. A recent replication of the Stanford Prison Experiment, carried out by Reicher and Haslam (2006), contradicts the findings of Zimbardo. The study has received many ethical criticisms, including lack of fully informed consent by participants as Zimbardo himself did not know what would happen in the experiment (it was unpredictable). They truly began to see the prisoner participants as threats to All prisoners look alike, and they are assigned a number. Ethics and the Stanford Prison Experiment by Philipp Zimbardo. of being arrested and detained. Understanding Genocide: The Social Psychology of the Holocaust. Originally he aimed to study how much our behavior is structured by the social role we occupy. The study has received many ethical criticisms, including lack of fully informed consent by participants as Zimbardo himself did not know what would happen in the experiment (it was unpredictable). 1. Most men are not accustomed to wearing dresses, and real prisoners do not wear them. Surprisingly, the parents went along with the rules with a minimum of complaints. (2016, Aug 03). Ethical Issues. However, as the days and hours grew on, it became evident that the guards -- who had almost limitless decisions when it came to handling prisoners, save physically harming them -- were determined to further humiliate and debase the prisoners through borderline violent means. (2002). They were stripped naked and deloused; the delousing is important in order to prevent the spreading of diseases or bugs such as lice, but forcing prisoners to appear naked in front of others is humiliating. The experiment was perceived by many to involve questionable ethics, the most serious concern being that it was continued even after participants expressed their desire to withdraw. While each methods chapter in . New York: Oxford University Press. The experiment had to come to an end after five days even though it was meant to last two weeks. Reicher and Haslam replicated Zimbardo’s research by randomly assigning 15 men to the role of prisoner or guard. Despite the fact that participants were told they had the right to leave at any time, Zimbardo did not allow this. they got deeper into their roles. The Stanford Prison Experiment would not be allowed to be conducted today due to the various violations of ethics including depriving participants of the right to withdraw, informed consent, debriefing and the protection from physical and … Describing the study briefly 24 undergraduates with no criminal and psychological record were chosen for the research to play the … Zimbardo admitted that during the experiment he had sometimes felt more like a prison superintendent than a research psychologist. Also, the prisonersdid not consent to being 'arrested' at home. do them harm. some of the participants feelings, Researcher Phil Zimbardo admitted that he “Individual behavior is largely under the control of social forces and environmental contingencies rather than ‘personality traits,’ ‘character,’ ‘will power,’ or other empirically unvalidated constructs,” (Saleton, 2004). In case you can’t find a sample example, our professional writers are ready to help you with writing Visit the Stanford Prison Experiment website to learn more about this famous experiment. The Stanford Prison Experiment ended abruptly on August 20, 1971, when Dr. Christina Maslach came to visit Zimbardo and was disgusted by the events taking place, finally snapping Zimbardo out … In other words, once people started being harmed beyond just a few verbal jabs, the experiment became unethical. This was demonstrated by the riots that occurred at real prisons following the experiment. §  The prisoner participants were taken through the actual process Some of the participants had mental breakdowns due to the circumstances. In this replication, the participants did not conform to their social roles automatically. Also, the prisoners did not consent to being 'arrested' at home. Their unjust treatment of the prisoners became more brutal as Ethical guidelines for the protection of participants from physical and psychological harm were developed as a result of the Stanford Prison experiment. The Stanford Prison Experiment is frequently cited as an example of unethical research. They were placed in solitary confinement at times. The researchers divided the group into prisoners and guards by virtue of a coin toss, though prisoners later recalled that they felt the guards were chosen based on their larger physical size (Wikipedia, 2007). This code requires This is a direct violation of the APA Code of Conduct. do them harm. Neueste Erkenntnisse bezweifeln die korrekte Durchführung s… Dehumanizing prisoners does not benefit anyone; rather, prisoners are more likely to show a willingness to do what they are told if they are treated humanely. your own paper. The study was led by Philip Zimbardo, who adopted the role of jail superintendent. One of the major demands by the prisoners at Attica was that they wanted to be treated like human beings. (Eds.). our expert writers, Copying content is not allowed on this website, Ask a professional writer to help you with your text, Give us your email and we'll send you the essay you need, Please indicate where to send you the sample, Hi, my name is Jenn : //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment, Saletan, W ( 2004 May 12 ) mock Prison losing. Uncontrollable screaming and crying who partook in the SPE, the prisoners accepted the inhumane,. For college Psych 101 classes everywhere, Craig Haney und Curtis Banks an der Stanford University well-known... Told they had the right to leave empowerment when given responsibilities they have means... To do is fill out a short form and submit an order steps taken in the experiment showed the of. College Psych 101 classes everywhere happen to them guides future researchers in how ( not ) to conduct valid... 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