Question

Social Research Methods: Stanford Prison Experiment

1. What is the independent and the dependent variable in the study?

2. How might you ope rationalizing that hold comes of Interest?

3. Who involved in the experiment had experimental knowledge?

4. What incentives did participants to participate in this study?

5. Was the sample result in generalizable? - Why or why not?

6. List all of the parts of the study that you found questionable or unethical?

7. What were the research ethics that were violated? How would you participants NOT protected from harm?

8. Qualitative or quantitative- How Could You conduct a research study in a different format?

9. How can you go about researching this topic (ex. non-experimental format)?

10. Is this research study biased?

11. What are some key points about the Stanford prison research study?

Answer 1

• standford prision experiment was conducted by a philip zimbardo , A psychology professor in the year 1971. The aim of the  expriement is to investigate the psychological thoughts to understand the differences and the stuggles between prisoners and prison officers .

This experiement was conducted to test a hypothesis which stated "inherent personality traits of prisoners and prison officers are the chief cause of abusive behavior in prison"

independent and the dependent variable:

independent variable: the conditions the participants are randomly allocated to: either prisoner or guard.

dependent variable: is the resulting behaviour.

Who involved in the experiment had experimental knowledge?

The experiment , It was a research group lead by professor Philip Zimbardo.

What incentives did participants to participate in this study?

The participants got 15us dollars per day

Was the sample result in generalizable? - Why or why not?

The basics of why the results are questionable are as the raised questions in articles : the guards in the study were told by the researchers how to behave, that Zimbardo shaped the experiment to get the result he wanted, which he wanted to show that middle-class college students when placed in a position of power and authority would become like the majority of the subjects in the Experiment.

List all of the parts of the study that you found questionable or unethical.

• The prisioners were really harmed during the experiement .
• They have voilated certain code of conduct while conducting the experiement
• They were on high alcohol abuse and they did not even realise that they were misusing the power given to them .
• They had not initially explain the procedure , outcomes and risks involved in the experiments to the participants .
• Authenticity was not taken care of .
• Participants were not given protection during the research .

Qualitative or quantitative

Data collected were combinations of both quantitative and qualitative data. The main data though was qualitative and was obtained using video, audiotape and direct observation (both covert and overt).

The participants were respondents to a newspaper advertisement, which asked for male volunteers to participate in a psychological study of ‘prison life’ in return for payment of $15 per day. The 75 respondents completed a questionnaire about their family background, physical and mental health, prior experiences and attitudinal tendencies with respect to psychopathology and any involvement in crime.

How can you go about researching this topic?

Researchers used a Quasi Experimental method known as the before-and-after design to conduct the Stanford Prison Experiment. The researchers could not use controls in the experiment because they would have no way to compare them to the prison guards and the prisoners.

Is this research study biased?

No the study is not baised as the experiment took place in a real setting .

What are some key points about the Stanford prison research study?

• experiment, students were randomly divided into “guards” and “prisoners” and forced to work or live in a makeshift prison for two weeks.
• The Prison Experiment demonstrated, in a controlled and scientific manner,
• Destructive outcomes .
• something unique to the abusive guard that makes him so. Rather, the blame lies on the environment.