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As part of the work we've been doing to improve on the quality of the article, I've worked with other editors to come up with this phrasing. Is it acceptable as a replacement for what is currently in the opening paragraphs? DrZasm ( talk) 06:42, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
The Stanford prison experiment (SPE) was designed to examine the effects of situational
variables on participants' reactions and behaviors in a two-week simulation of a
prison environment.
Stanford University psychology professor
Philip Zimbardo led the research team who ran the experiment in the summer of 1971.
The U.S. Office of Naval Research funded the experiment as an investigation into the genesis of difficulties between prison guards and inmates in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps facilities. Certain portions of it were filmed, and excerpts of footage are publicly available.
After receiving approval from the university to conduct the experiment, study participants were recruited using an ad in the help wanted section of the Palo Alto Times and The Stanford Daily newspapers, which read:
Male college students needed for psychological study of prison life. $15 per day for 1-2 weeks, beginning Aug. For further information and applications, come to room 248 Jordan Hall, Stanford University.
From 75 applicants who applied to participate in the experiment, 24 young white men, deemed the most psychologically stable, were chosen as participants. During their initial screening interviews, all of the selected participants said they would prefer to be prisoners, not guards.
Participants were then randomly assigned to being “prisoners” or “prison guards" (9 in each group, plus 3 substitutes). This random assignment is considered the SPE experiment’s independent variable.
The day before the Stanford prison experiment officially began, the participants playing “guards” were given uniforms and equipment, specifically chosen to mimic the de-individuating uniforms professional prison guards and military often wear.
The experiment ended before the two weeks came to a close as the brutal behavior of the “guards” had escalated beyond what Zimbardo had anticipated, and the prisoners’ behavior had become more submissive than anticipated - a few had mental breakdowns. After debriefing with his “guards” and “prisoners”, Zimbardo analyzed the data and published his findings.
Zimbardo believes that the Stanford Prison Experiment contributes to psychology’s understanding of human behavior and its complex dynamics - how ordinary people can act in evil ways under certain conditions, otherwise known as the Lucifer Effect.
Could someone please add alt text to the images in this article? It would benefit screen reader users and people who have images turned off. This guide explains how. KaraLG84 ( talk) 09:37, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
The following Wikimedia Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for deletion:
Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. — Community Tech bot ( talk) 13:43, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
Per comments above, I do not want to make any changes to the article itself, but was able to take the time needed to work on a revised and better lede that I have proposed below. Thank you thank you to everyone for all the incredible work! This is one of the most important psychological experiments in history - which is one of the reasons I have respected Zimbardo so much - he knows that what he did was evil, and has worked ever since to show why these kinds of evils are pervasive across almost every version of imprisonment. Humans are affected by situations, and good people can do terrible things.
But - that's just a quick blurb about my motivation. Not wanting to whitewash anything - striving for the highest quality article we can get before 0:00 UTC tonight.
I'll post updates here. Everyone else is welcome to keep editing any other part of the article - or collaborate with me to help improve lede. Even though I've pioured thousands of hours into wikipedia as an organizer, the writing is still very challenging for me, so it won't be perfect, but hopefully I can propose something better asap!
DrMel ( talk) 21:06, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
I came across this article via WP:THQ#Stanford Prison Experiment - revisions need checking (urgently?) and more about the images issues can be found at c:Commons:Deletion requests/Stanford prison experiment images. Basically, the person who uploaded pretty much all of the images used in the article other than the one of the plaque at the top of the article chose a {{ Cc-by-sa-4.0}} for some unknown reason even though it clearly states at the top of the source website that the images are for "non-commercial use only", which is unacceptable restriction for image licensing per c:COM:L and WP:COPY#Guidelines for images and other media files. So, my suggestion would be to remove these images from the article until their licensing can be verified. A bot will post another notice about this probably sometime later today or tomorrow, but the files cannot be kept unless it can clearly be demonstrated that they are released under a license that Commons or Wikipedia accepts. -- Marchjuly ( talk) 12:45, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
The experiment section, under Friday, August 20th, says: " Zimbardo then met for several hours of informed debriefing first with all of the prisoners, then the guards, and finally everyone came together to share their experiences. Next, all participants were asked to complete a personal retrospective to be mailed to him subsequently. Finally, all participants were invited to return a week later to share their opinions and emotions."
Later in the ethical issues, it says: "Though Zimbardo did conduct debriefing sessions, they were several years after the Stanford prison experiment."
The source for the ethical issue, SimplyPsychology, states, "After the prison experiment was terminated, Zimbardo interviewed the participants". Further, that "Extensive group and individual debriefing sessions were held, and all participants returned post-experimental questionnaires several weeks, then several months later, then at yearly intervals. Zimbardo concluded there were no lasting negative effects."
The source for the experiment, The Day to Day Breakdown, states, "Zimbardo met with all the guards, then with all the prisoners, before everyone came together to discuss the experience. Even the participants released early from the experiment came back to go over their feelings and thoughts" and "After a couple of months, Zimbardo received prisoner #416's recollection of his time spent in The Hole".
In both references, the debriefing statement under ethical issues is unfounded.
This should be edited. Thank you. -- ErzsieHDR ( talk) 22:43, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
Currently working on:
Anyone reading this, we'd welcome your responses here. What do you think could help make the article better? What would you like to help with? DrMel ( talk) 16:02, 21 August 2021 (UTC)
In the last month or so, the article has been changed, in my opinion for the worst. If we take as a basis of comparison this diff:
Hello, I am fairly new to editing on Wikipedia but this page was so glaringly wrong I had to have a go. (Sorry if I am posting this talk in the wrong place). The Stanford Prison Experiment has been thoroughly debunked. It was a fake, a set up. Yet the Wikipedia entry still reads mostly like it was a genuine experiment, with only some minor mentions of criticisms. I have edited it to put the research debunking it into the first section. Unfortunately I don't have time to go through and change the whole page. I hope someone else can do that. -- NativeDingo ( talk) 15:14, 11 October 2021 (UTC) - NativeDingo Oct 2021
Prisoner 819 began showing symptoms of distress (...) the guards cajoled the remaining inmates to loudly decry #819 as a bad prisoner.
Besides possible changes to the article, those edits were made by DrZasm, ErzsieHDR and AbhishekG27, who all joined Wikipedia recently and edited almost exclusively that topic. I would very much like them to disclose what possible conflicts of interest they have with respect to the experiment itself and/or Zimbardo, and whether they know each other off-wiki. Tigraan Click here for my talk page ("private" contact) 08:37, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available
on the course page. Peer reviewers:
Robertsmia97.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 7 January 2019 and 26 April 2019. Further details are available
on the course page. Peer reviewers:
Jbrichan.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 5 April 2019 and 17 May 2019. Further details are available
on the course page. Student editor(s):
Lexibellaoscar.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 August 2021 and 16 November 2021. Further details are available
on the course page. Student editor(s):
Sophiatorregrossa.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This was less than a month later. /info/en/?search=Attica_Prison_riot
Zimbardo told me about it this morning. We’re recording interviews for posting to Commons. Amazing stories of what it was like 50 years ago.
On Day 6 of SPE, after shutting it down and going home to be with his heroine and future wife, they woke to the news of the San Quentin prison riot of 21 August 1971
Attica Riot was only a couple weeks later. It shows how far the ugliness can go.
Thank God Zim stopped SPE when he did on Day 6.
And what are the lessons learned?
Situational forces can kill. DrMel ( talk) 21:25, 20 August 2021 (UTC)
![]() | This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 | Archive 2 |
As part of the work we've been doing to improve on the quality of the article, I've worked with other editors to come up with this phrasing. Is it acceptable as a replacement for what is currently in the opening paragraphs? DrZasm ( talk) 06:42, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
The Stanford prison experiment (SPE) was designed to examine the effects of situational
variables on participants' reactions and behaviors in a two-week simulation of a
prison environment.
Stanford University psychology professor
Philip Zimbardo led the research team who ran the experiment in the summer of 1971.
The U.S. Office of Naval Research funded the experiment as an investigation into the genesis of difficulties between prison guards and inmates in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps facilities. Certain portions of it were filmed, and excerpts of footage are publicly available.
After receiving approval from the university to conduct the experiment, study participants were recruited using an ad in the help wanted section of the Palo Alto Times and The Stanford Daily newspapers, which read:
Male college students needed for psychological study of prison life. $15 per day for 1-2 weeks, beginning Aug. For further information and applications, come to room 248 Jordan Hall, Stanford University.
From 75 applicants who applied to participate in the experiment, 24 young white men, deemed the most psychologically stable, were chosen as participants. During their initial screening interviews, all of the selected participants said they would prefer to be prisoners, not guards.
Participants were then randomly assigned to being “prisoners” or “prison guards" (9 in each group, plus 3 substitutes). This random assignment is considered the SPE experiment’s independent variable.
The day before the Stanford prison experiment officially began, the participants playing “guards” were given uniforms and equipment, specifically chosen to mimic the de-individuating uniforms professional prison guards and military often wear.
The experiment ended before the two weeks came to a close as the brutal behavior of the “guards” had escalated beyond what Zimbardo had anticipated, and the prisoners’ behavior had become more submissive than anticipated - a few had mental breakdowns. After debriefing with his “guards” and “prisoners”, Zimbardo analyzed the data and published his findings.
Zimbardo believes that the Stanford Prison Experiment contributes to psychology’s understanding of human behavior and its complex dynamics - how ordinary people can act in evil ways under certain conditions, otherwise known as the Lucifer Effect.
Could someone please add alt text to the images in this article? It would benefit screen reader users and people who have images turned off. This guide explains how. KaraLG84 ( talk) 09:37, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
The following Wikimedia Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for deletion:
Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. — Community Tech bot ( talk) 13:43, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
Per comments above, I do not want to make any changes to the article itself, but was able to take the time needed to work on a revised and better lede that I have proposed below. Thank you thank you to everyone for all the incredible work! This is one of the most important psychological experiments in history - which is one of the reasons I have respected Zimbardo so much - he knows that what he did was evil, and has worked ever since to show why these kinds of evils are pervasive across almost every version of imprisonment. Humans are affected by situations, and good people can do terrible things.
But - that's just a quick blurb about my motivation. Not wanting to whitewash anything - striving for the highest quality article we can get before 0:00 UTC tonight.
I'll post updates here. Everyone else is welcome to keep editing any other part of the article - or collaborate with me to help improve lede. Even though I've pioured thousands of hours into wikipedia as an organizer, the writing is still very challenging for me, so it won't be perfect, but hopefully I can propose something better asap!
DrMel ( talk) 21:06, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
I came across this article via WP:THQ#Stanford Prison Experiment - revisions need checking (urgently?) and more about the images issues can be found at c:Commons:Deletion requests/Stanford prison experiment images. Basically, the person who uploaded pretty much all of the images used in the article other than the one of the plaque at the top of the article chose a {{ Cc-by-sa-4.0}} for some unknown reason even though it clearly states at the top of the source website that the images are for "non-commercial use only", which is unacceptable restriction for image licensing per c:COM:L and WP:COPY#Guidelines for images and other media files. So, my suggestion would be to remove these images from the article until their licensing can be verified. A bot will post another notice about this probably sometime later today or tomorrow, but the files cannot be kept unless it can clearly be demonstrated that they are released under a license that Commons or Wikipedia accepts. -- Marchjuly ( talk) 12:45, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
The experiment section, under Friday, August 20th, says: " Zimbardo then met for several hours of informed debriefing first with all of the prisoners, then the guards, and finally everyone came together to share their experiences. Next, all participants were asked to complete a personal retrospective to be mailed to him subsequently. Finally, all participants were invited to return a week later to share their opinions and emotions."
Later in the ethical issues, it says: "Though Zimbardo did conduct debriefing sessions, they were several years after the Stanford prison experiment."
The source for the ethical issue, SimplyPsychology, states, "After the prison experiment was terminated, Zimbardo interviewed the participants". Further, that "Extensive group and individual debriefing sessions were held, and all participants returned post-experimental questionnaires several weeks, then several months later, then at yearly intervals. Zimbardo concluded there were no lasting negative effects."
The source for the experiment, The Day to Day Breakdown, states, "Zimbardo met with all the guards, then with all the prisoners, before everyone came together to discuss the experience. Even the participants released early from the experiment came back to go over their feelings and thoughts" and "After a couple of months, Zimbardo received prisoner #416's recollection of his time spent in The Hole".
In both references, the debriefing statement under ethical issues is unfounded.
This should be edited. Thank you. -- ErzsieHDR ( talk) 22:43, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
Currently working on:
Anyone reading this, we'd welcome your responses here. What do you think could help make the article better? What would you like to help with? DrMel ( talk) 16:02, 21 August 2021 (UTC)
In the last month or so, the article has been changed, in my opinion for the worst. If we take as a basis of comparison this diff:
Hello, I am fairly new to editing on Wikipedia but this page was so glaringly wrong I had to have a go. (Sorry if I am posting this talk in the wrong place). The Stanford Prison Experiment has been thoroughly debunked. It was a fake, a set up. Yet the Wikipedia entry still reads mostly like it was a genuine experiment, with only some minor mentions of criticisms. I have edited it to put the research debunking it into the first section. Unfortunately I don't have time to go through and change the whole page. I hope someone else can do that. -- NativeDingo ( talk) 15:14, 11 October 2021 (UTC) - NativeDingo Oct 2021
Prisoner 819 began showing symptoms of distress (...) the guards cajoled the remaining inmates to loudly decry #819 as a bad prisoner.
Besides possible changes to the article, those edits were made by DrZasm, ErzsieHDR and AbhishekG27, who all joined Wikipedia recently and edited almost exclusively that topic. I would very much like them to disclose what possible conflicts of interest they have with respect to the experiment itself and/or Zimbardo, and whether they know each other off-wiki. Tigraan Click here for my talk page ("private" contact) 08:37, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available
on the course page. Peer reviewers:
Robertsmia97.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 7 January 2019 and 26 April 2019. Further details are available
on the course page. Peer reviewers:
Jbrichan.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 5 April 2019 and 17 May 2019. Further details are available
on the course page. Student editor(s):
Lexibellaoscar.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 August 2021 and 16 November 2021. Further details are available
on the course page. Student editor(s):
Sophiatorregrossa.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT ( talk) 10:08, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
This was less than a month later. /info/en/?search=Attica_Prison_riot
Zimbardo told me about it this morning. We’re recording interviews for posting to Commons. Amazing stories of what it was like 50 years ago.
On Day 6 of SPE, after shutting it down and going home to be with his heroine and future wife, they woke to the news of the San Quentin prison riot of 21 August 1971
Attica Riot was only a couple weeks later. It shows how far the ugliness can go.
Thank God Zim stopped SPE when he did on Day 6.
And what are the lessons learned?
Situational forces can kill. DrMel ( talk) 21:25, 20 August 2021 (UTC)