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A chat with the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment

60 points by fraqed 10y ago

dannylandau 10y ago
I wonder if any student that actually participated in this experiment has a different take on things?
- nether 10y ago
  Yep; John Mark, a guard. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2y5sbt/iwasa_guard_in_the_1971_stanford_prison/ https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2y5sbt/iwasa_guard_in... > I personally think Zimbardo is a self-promoting sensationalists more than a serious academic researcher and I think he was aware that this had the potential to make his career. The aforementioned chat is a bunch of softballs. I do think this study warrants much more scrutiny.
  - throw_away 10y ago
    In the original link, Zimbardo misrepresents things a little bit by saying that he was ultimately the one who intervened when, in reality, it was another researcher (who was romantically involved with him and who later became his wife): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Maslach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Maslach http://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/970108prisonexp.html http://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/970108prisonexp.html
projektir 10y ago
This used to be one of my favorite studies and now I see it as basically a trash study. Not something we can replicate, mechanisms are poor, yet the implications were huge. We really should be more careful with things like this. With all the replication and quality issues in social and psych studies right now, I think the tide is turning and maybe we can go back to philosophy.
- sndean 10y ago
  Yeah, the Milgram experiment had similar implications, was clearly better designed, and variations of it have been replicated several times [0]. Interesting that Milgram and Zimbardo were in the same high school class [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
- HeavenBanned 10y ago
  Without doubt the study was puffed up by the West-Coast Ivy "Stanford" brand name. If this study were carried out by "East BumbleFuck State U." it would have gone into the trash heap of history. Clear cut case of empty prestige-worship.
- afarrell 10y ago
  Given that it is non-replicable, isn't it better called the "Stanford Prison Incident"? We can still learn things from it as a historical incident like Abu Garib, but it fails to really walk the path of experimental science.
- ransom1538 10y ago
  Right. "Not something we can replicate". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynndie_England https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynndie_England

60 points by fraqed 10y ago

dannylandau 10y ago

I wonder if any student that actually participated in this experiment has a different take on things?

nether 10y ago
Yep; John Mark, a guard. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2y5sbt/iwasa_guard_in_the_1971_stanford_prison/ https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2y5sbt/iwasa_guard_in... > I personally think Zimbardo is a self-promoting sensationalists more than a serious academic researcher and I think he was aware that this had the potential to make his career. The aforementioned chat is a bunch of softballs. I do think this study warrants much more scrutiny.
- throw_away 10y ago
  In the original link, Zimbardo misrepresents things a little bit by saying that he was ultimately the one who intervened when, in reality, it was another researcher (who was romantically involved with him and who later became his wife): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Maslach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Maslach http://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/970108prisonexp.html http://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/970108prisonexp.html

projektir 10y ago

This used to be one of my favorite studies and now I see it as basically a trash study. Not something we can replicate, mechanisms are poor, yet the implications were huge. We really should be more careful with things like this. With all the replication and quality issues in social and psych studies right now, I think the tide is turning and maybe we can go back to philosophy.

sndean 10y ago
Yeah, the Milgram experiment had similar implications, was clearly better designed, and variations of it have been replicated several times [0]. Interesting that Milgram and Zimbardo were in the same high school class [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
HeavenBanned 10y ago
Without doubt the study was puffed up by the West-Coast Ivy "Stanford" brand name. If this study were carried out by "East BumbleFuck State U." it would have gone into the trash heap of history. Clear cut case of empty prestige-worship.
afarrell 10y ago
Given that it is non-replicable, isn't it better called the "Stanford Prison Incident"? We can still learn things from it as a historical incident like Abu Garib, but it fails to really walk the path of experimental science.
ransom1538 10y ago
Right. "Not something we can replicate". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynndie_England https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynndie_England