A group of researchers were curious to understand the behaviour of guards in prisons and wanted to know whether it was due to dispositional (personality) or environment dependent (situational) factors. To study the roles of guards and prisoners they created a mock prison. 23 men unfamiliar with each other volunteered to participate in the study and were assigned the role of prisoners and guards. Both adopted to their new roles. A rebellion on the second day led to harsh retaliation by the guards. Ruthless retributive action was taken to punish the prisoners. The researchers intended to run the experiment for 2 weeks. It was however, terminated on the sixth day due to the emotional breakdown of prisoners and excessive aggression by the guards. The experiment revealed how people confirm to the social roles they are expected to play.
Experiment Termination Reason
The experiment was terminated prematurely due to severe negative psychological effects experienced by the participants, specifically the prisoners.
Analysis of Termination Cause
The core reason for the experiment's termination on the 6th day was the profound psychological distress observed in the participants assigned the role of prisoners. Key factors include:
- Emotional Distress: The prisoners experienced significant emotional upset, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.
- Humiliation and Degradation: The conditions created by the guards led to feelings of humiliation and a loss of identity among the prisoners.
- Ethical Concerns: The escalating negative emotions and dehumanizing treatment raised serious ethical concerns, indicating the experiment was causing undue harm.
These factors necessitated the immediate termination of the study to prevent further psychological damage to the participants.
Why Other Options Were Incorrect
- Option 1 (Boring): The experiment's termination was due to ethical and psychological issues, not lack of engagement.
- Option 2 (University Administration): While ethical oversight is crucial, the immediate trigger was the observed participant suffering, not solely an administrative decision unrelated to the study's effects.
- Option 4 (Became Friends): The opposite occurred; the power dynamics led to conflict and distress, not friendship, between guards and prisoners.
Important Questions from Ethics in Research - Teaching
- Ethical considerations in Educational Research include
A. Informed consent
B. Confidentiality of participant data
C. Manipulation of data to support hypothesis
D. Avoidance of plagiarism
E. Providing misleading information to participants
Choose the correct answer from the options given below: - Assertion (A): Reproductive technologies are evolving faster than societies can weigh the ethics of these procedures.
Reason (R) : Not enough research is available regarding the long term health and psychological consequences of these procedures.
Codes : - Psychological research does not allow one of the following activities:
- The experiment:
- Research with human participants creates ethical issues because quest for scientific knowledge can exploit people. The following are important rights of participants in India :
(i) Payment for their time
(ii) Informed consent
(iii) Privacy
(iv) Protection from harm
Choose the correct answer from the code given below :
Code :
