Obedience

1
Obedience Prison Study

• Kirsten A. Porter-Stransky
• Psychology Senior Seminar
• February 5, 2008

2
Obedience

• Obedience the behavior that complies with the
  explicit demands of the individual in authority
• Stanley Milgram
• Purpose of experiment was to see how far the
  obedience-inducing power of authority could be
  extended

3
Milgrams Experiment

• Participants Confederate
• Teacher
• Learner
• Teacher taught a list of words to Learner
• Mistakes ? Shocks

4
Milgrams Experiment

• Teacher received 45 volt shock
• As teacher had to shock the learner, the learned
  screamed signs of pain
• Experimenter told him to continue

5
Milgrams Experiment

• Milgram psychiatrists thought that lt 4
  participants would deliver shocks after the
  learner stopped speaking and lt1 would go until
  the end
• gt 80 kept going after the learner stopped
  speaking
• 65 finished the experiment
• Follow-up studies yielded same results
• Ethics of experiment?

6
Zimbardos Experiment

• August 1971
• Purpose was to see what happens when you put good
  people in a bad place
• Participants responded to a newspaper add and
  volunteered for 15/day
• Randomly chosen to be officers or prisoners
• Realistic prison environment was created
• Surprise arrest

7
Zimbardos Experiment

• Prisoners were humiliated
• Guards were not taught but free to do what they
  thought was necessary to maintain order
• Awakened prisoners at 230AM
• Made prisoners do pushups

8
Zimbardos Experiment

• Rebellion
• Guards response
• Called in reinforcements
• Stripped prisoners naked
• Ringleaders to solitary confinement
• Couldnt always have 11 ratio of guards to
  prisoners
• Physical ? Psychological
• Privilege Cell

9
Zimbardos Experiment

• First prisoner wanted to be released after 36
  hours but was convinced to stay
• Next day visitors were allowed
• Rumor of escape
• Parole
• Types of Guards
• Fair Guards
• Good Guys
• Bad Guys
• Conclusion

10
References

• http//www.prisonexp.org/
• Kenrick, D.T. (2002)Social Psychology Unraveling
  the Mystery