Nicodemus, Koby Bryan T.

2016131527
M1 ACT1 Week 3

One of the most well-known and intriguing psychological experiments of all time, the
Stanford Prison Experiment, revealed a deceptively straightforward narrative about human
nature. Paid volunteers were divided into "inmates" or "guards" in a fake prison at Stanford
University for the purpose of the study. The "guards" started mistreating the "prisoners" soon
after the experiment started, demonstrating that evil is a product of circumstance. In their
conclusions, the authors hypothesized that when innocent people are placed in positions of power
over others, they will start to abuse that power. And those who are placed in a position of
weakness will be forced to submit, even go insane. Numerous introductory psychology textbooks
have incorporated the Stanford Prison Experiment, which is frequently and blindly quoted.
Films, documentaries, novels, television programs, and congressional testimony have all
addressed the issue. But the results were incorrect. really wrong and not simply because of its
dubious morals or dearth of hard evidence, but also because of deception.

The experiment was also influenced by more subtle influences. It's often reported that the
study participants were regular guys, and a battery of tests did indeed find them to be "normal"
and healthy. They were a self-selected group, though, as they answered to a newspaper ad
looking for participants in "a psychological study of jail life." They scored much lower on tests
of empathy and compassion, and significantly higher on measures of aggressiveness,
authoritarianism, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and social dominance in those who believed
they would be taking part in a jail study. The experiment gained notoriety and was frequently
mentioned in textbooks and other works. The Stanford Prison Experiment, according to
Zimbardo and his associates, showed the potent influence that circumstance may have on
conduct. The guards started acting in ways they wouldn't often act in their daily life or other
situations since they were given a position of power. The convicts were meek and despondent as
a result of being put in an environment over which they had little real control.

It is common to use the Stanford Prison Experiment as an illustration of unethical

research. Researchers now would not be able to reproduce the experiment since it does not
adhere to the norms set forth by several codes of ethics, including the American Psychological
Association's Ethics Code. The study is not generalizable for a number of reasons. It is
challenging to extrapolate the findings to a larger population because the participant sample was
unrepresentative (mainly white and middle-class males). The lack of ecological validity of the
study is another criticism leveled against it. The degree of realism with which a simulated
experimental setup replicates the real-world scenario it attempts to mimic is referred to as
ecological validity. Simply put, it is impossible to accurately replicate all of the circumstances
and surroundings of a jail institution. It may not accurately reflect what might occur outside of
the lab because there might have been factors connected to the venue and scenario that
influenced how the participants behaved.