§  They truly began to see the prisoner participants as threats to 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. Also, the prisonersdid not consent to being 'arrested' at home. Surprisingly, the parents went along with the rules with a minimum of complaints. (Eds.). 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). 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. 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. In conclusion, Zimbardo’s experiment demonstrated that people will adapt to their surroundings quickly and completely. Ethical Issues. researchers to only conduct studies that are within the boundaries of their The experiment had to come to an end after five days even though it was meant to last two weeks. some of the participants feelings, Researcher Phil Zimbardo admitted that he Additionally, what are the ethical issues in the Stanford Prison Experiment? In other words, once people started being harmed beyond just a few verbal jabs, the experiment became unethical. Standard Code 3.04, Avoiding Harm___________________. Essay, Ask Writer For “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). The same also applies to any experiment where the participants are physically harmed. One prisoner had We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. study. Zimbardo admitted that during the experiment he had sometimes felt more like a prison superintendent than a research psychologist. 6. Even a participant who joined the experiment for subversive reasons found himself deeply invested in his role: We later learned, while censoring the prisoners’ mail, that he was a self-styled radical activist. For example, the Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted by Stanford University is well-known for its questionable and controversial research methods. 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. There were a few prisoners who became ill due to the stressful conditions, and Zimbardo made it difficult for those participants to leave. While this is an exaggeration of how suspects are usually arrested, it is not far off. Understanding Genocide: The Social Psychology of the Holocaust. 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. They were placed in solitary confinement at times. They were humiliated and mistreated; tormented if you wil. 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. (APA,2002) In an article written in the Stanford Magazine that reflected on In the case of the Stanford Prison Experiment, the study should have been closed on ethical grounds when the “guards” began to inflict egregious pain and humiliation on the “prisoners”, both physically and psychologically. Next, the experiment proved that prisoners and guards alike succumbed to the situational attributes of behavior. Rather than just quitting the experiment, they went along with the mock “parole hearing”. 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. Ethical issues. Any experiment that places its participants under enormous psychological stress could be considered unethical. (2002). 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. 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. Describe the ethical issues related to conducting research with children and prisoners. Common prison garb is functional, but not comfortable. 6. So why was the Stanford Prison Experiment … §  Their unjust treatment of the prisoners became more brutal as competence, based on their education, training and supervised experience. One of the primary ethical concerns of SPE was the lack of fully informed consent (McLeod, 2016). The participants who played the part of the prisoners went along with everything that went on. There were many ethical problems with conducting this experiment. 1. There was a riot on the second day, which guards volunteered to work overtime, without pay, in order to quash. Despite the fact that participants were told they had the right to leave at any time, Zimbardo did not allow this. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy, The input space is limited by 250 symbols, Ethical Implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment. to be released after 36 hours because of uncontrollable screaming and crying. 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. 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 … They felt a sense of empowerment when given responsibilities. Unexpectedly, the prisoners were arrested by the actual Palo Alto Police Department, booked and jailed. Unfortunately, it is common in most prison systems. Zimbardo expected that, as a defense, the guards in charge of the Iraqi prisoners would state that their environment dictated their actions. The prisoners were eventually divided into two groups in order to make them think that there were informers among them, and many of the punishments led to an unsanitary environment. What happened in the Stanford Prison Experiment? This is a direct violation of the APA Code of Conduct. Ethical issues that challenged the subjects who partook in the experiment moral values and behavior. One of the ethical issues surrounding the Stanford prison experiment was the _____. 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 You can get your custom paper from The prisoners were not told partly because final approval from the police wasn’t given until minutes before the participants … Add Remove. §  They were placed in solitary confinement at times. This was the eventual end of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Stanford prison experiment. The next unexpected result was when the “prisoners” were given an opportunity to leave. 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). While each methods chapter in . The prisoners at Attica had one chief complaint, and that was a request to be treated in a way that was humane. All subjects willfully consented to assume either part, for $14 every day for up to two weeks. 3. The experiment was meant to last two weeks, but Zimbardo pulled the plug after six days. Today, the experiment is used in comparison with the treatment of the Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Sorry, but copying text is forbidden on this website. Zimbardo has admitted that he did not initially believe the study would be unethical; however, in the aftermath, he realized the abuse suffered by the participants was unethical (Drury, 2012). People will adapt to their social roles automatically most ethically controversial psychological experiment the ‘ Stanford experiment. Through any interpretation or processing is said to be released after 36 hours because uncontrollable! 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