Analysis of the Stanford Prison Experiment - Research Paper Example

Hypothesis of the study The hypothesis of the research centered on the assumption that becoming a prisoner or prison guard comes with adverse psychological effects. The Free Dictionary (2011) explains that a prisoner is “a person held in custody, captivity, or a condition of forcible restraint, especially while on trial or serving a prison sentence.” A prison guard is also a person who is legally mandated to guard a prison, not just to ensure that prisoners are intact but that the welfare of prisoners is protected (Teumasi, 2001).

The researchers chose their hypothesis due to the general public snare cast towards the state of being a prisoner or prison guard. The population that was studied The population of the study was made up of middle class and white; sample of whom were selected for the actual experiment. The population was made up seventy five (75) males, out of which a sample size of twenty four (24) was built. The methodology used The methodology used was an experiment. . Results of the study A very broad outcome that can be given to the experiment is that being in the state of a prisoner leaves a person with damming psychological effects.

This result was seen in the fact that though acted, some of the participants showed real signs of mental stress and discomfort. The fact that the experiment had to end prematurely alone depicts the outcome of the experiment, which was characterized by inhumane conditions experienced by people who were merely supposed to go into prison to be reformed. The psychological effects were not felt on the prisoners only as one third of the guards also showed an extreme and imbedded streak of sadism. Concepts, theories, and principles related to the information in the article reviewed In both the article reviewed by Dejong (1975) and the conduct of the actual research by Zimbardo, there are a number of psychological concepts, theories and principles that are interspersed.

The major psychological concept viewed from the article is the issue of mental conditioning where the facilitators of the experiment are criticized that since they did not use real case study but an acted experiment, there was the likelihood that the participant’s emotions and feelings were not real but acted based on the conditioning of their minds for the tasks they were paid for. Again, the issue of ethics is commonly raised. Because psychology concerns the behavior of the human mind, it is always expected that actions emitted out to people most conform to certain ethical standards.

The experiment was however criticized by the American Psychologists Association as being unethical, which means to a large extent, it infringed on the basic human rights of people. The last concept that can be talked about has to do