Philip Zimbardo's prison experiment involved setting up a make-believe jail and randomly assigning male student volunteers to the roles of guards and prisoners.The researcher concluded that:
A) existing personal relationships interfered with students' ability to assume their assigned roles
B) behavior in prisons reflects individual personality characteristics of guards and prisoners
C) behavior in prisons is strongly influenced by the nature of the prison setting
D) because prisoners became violent toward the guards, the experiment had to be canceled early
E) because students could not imagine what it is like to be in a prison situation, they were unable to carry out their assigned duties

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Zimbardo's experiment demonstrated that the behavior of both guards and prisoners was heavily influenced by the power dynamics and environment of the prison setting, rather than individual personality traits. The experiment had to be canceled early due to the concerning levels of aggression and abuse exhibited by the guards towards the prisoners. Additionally, during the experiment, the students were able to effectively assume their assigned roles, suggesting that personal relationships did not interfere with their behavior.

Philip Zimbardo's Prison Experiment Involved Setting Up a Make-Believe Jail