Results: The behaviour of the ‘normal’ students who had been randomly allocated to each condition, was affected by the role they had been assigned, to the extent that they seemed to believe in their allocated positions. The study therefore rejects the dispositional hypothesis.
The experiment had to be stopped after just six days instead of the planned 14 days. Five prisoners had to be released even earlier because of extreme emotional depression.
Interactions of guards were in the form of commands or verbal affronts, while the prisoners adopted a generally passive response mode. The experimenters would not permit physical violence to take place, however varieties of less direct aggressive behaviour were often observed.
Evaluation: The main criticism of Zimbardo’s study is on ethical grounds.
The only deception involved was to do with the arrest of the prisoners at the beginning of the experiment.
Since the experiment was conducted using 24 normal, healthy, male college students who were predominantly middle class and white (one was described as oriental), we have to be careful generalizing the results to other people.
The study had clear ecological validity in the way that Zimbardo went to great extremes in making the study as true to life as possible, for example in the way that he had the prisoners arrested from their homes.
However some psychologists believe that he has over emphasized the situational explanation. They state that the behaviour of both prisoners and guards may have initiated from the stereotyped expectations of prisoner and guard-roles. That is, the participants were only role-playing. However, Zimbardo would argue that the participants’ experiences were far too real.
Applications: Hoped to go on to help the Navy develop training, which would eliminate the deplorable conditions in the prisons.
Describe how findings from the study outlined in part a) have been applied
The results of Zimbardos experiment shocked the audience and showed significant importance to the new way of thinking about human nature. Since the results showed how that the behaviour of the ‘normal’ students was affected by the role they had been assigned, to the extent that they seemed to believe in their positions. Giving a new perspective on evil nature. Zimbardo showed that it could be anyone of us behaving in the way that the prison guards did. In his book ‘The Lucifer Effect’ Zimbardo wants to spread out this message to the average reader. In order to disseminate the message for the public knowledge.
This message can be spread in multiple forms and not merely Zimbardos developed book. It may be reflected in arts. Combining with media the general public will be more aware of the human nature and evil. Various forms of display may be considered e.g. movies, theatre performances and visual arts.
Initially Zimbardos experiment was even funded by the US Navy. US Marine Corps had an interest in the reasons for prisoner and guard conflicts. Zimbardo himself wished to use the information to help the Navy develop training, which would eliminate the deplorable conditions in the prisons.
Zimbardo strongly argued that the benefits gained about our understanding of human behaviour and how we can improve society should out balance the distress caused by the study. Society can be improved. Current prisons and other detention facilities may be improved.
Historical and current situations are easily explained through the findings of Zimbardos research. We may now elucidate the absentminded genocides. Such as the Holocaust. And on more recent events the Abu Ghraib prison and the treatment of Iraqi prisoners.
The results proved the dispositional factors wrong and highlighted the situational factors. Thus results may be used to educate humans to increase their own individual identity to further avoid such situations.
Evaluate the applications described in part b)
Sometimes application of the findings may be distorted into different ways than intended. However it has been suggested that the US Navy was not so much interested in making prisons more human and were in fact more interested in using the study to train people in the armed services to cope with the stresses of captivity. Though this example is a mild one at times it may be worse. The findings can be used completely opposite to the ‘good’ intentions. Research results may be used for the bad of humans against all pragmatic and ethical limits. The clear limit of the application is the misuse of the knowledge. It can never be guaranteed to be refrained from.
On the other hand the pubic will now have a deeper comprehension on their own behaviour and on the many baffling conflicts within the modern history. Through the application art there is a advantage since the large public is provided by this information. Through media more people will be aware of the dangers situational factors.
It must be made clear that information in the arts is easily manipulated and may give off the wrong message for its audience. Thus being misinterpreted by the audience. Such misuse adds up to the disadvantages of the applications.
