stanford prison experiment
Summary
Zimbardo's 1971 study randomly assigned college students to be guards or prisoners in a mock prison; the guards became harsh and the study ended early. The MCAT uses it to show how situations and assigned social roles can strongly shape behavior, though critics note flaws.
Detail
Meaning: Philip Zimbardo's 1971 study placed college students, randomly assigned as guards or prisoners, in a simulated prison. The guards grew increasingly harsh and many prisoners became passive or distressed, so the study was ended early. Zimbardo took this as evidence that situations and assigned social roles can strongly shape behavior, partly through deindividuation (loss of personal identity in a uniform or group).
On the MCAT: It appears as an example of social roles, situational versus dispositional attribution, deindividuation, or conformity to role expectations. Random assignment is the key design feature: since the groups began alike, differences in behavior are credited to the role. Passages may also raise ethics (harm, informed consent, right to withdraw) or limits such as demand characteristics and poor generalizability.
Common confusion: Do not mix it up with Milgram's study, which tested obedience to an authority giving orders, or Asch's, which tested conformity to a group's wrong answers. Stanford is about adopting assigned roles. It is also a classic demonstration, not settled proof, since critics argue the guards were guided and participants may have acted as expected.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Social Psychology (Aronson, Wilson, Akert)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.