Zimbardos Stanford Prison Experiment Free Essay Example, 1500 words

DeJong, 1975, Lovaglia, 2007). Whilst this finding was not part of the official, published results of the study, it does add some weight to the conclusion, as the legitimizing ideology in this case was the furthering of scientific interest, which allowed visitors to look past ethical issues in favour of science. This conclusion, however, is hotly debated simply because of some methodological considerations that must be made when analysing the SPE. One of the main criticisms of the study is that it’s very nature meant that Zimbardo could not keep to standard scientific controls (Banuazizi & Movahedi, 1975) and could not maintain objectivity throughout the study (Lovaglia, 2007). This meant that much of the released information about the SPE was based on anecdotal evidence, and it has been argued that this is a flaw which renders the findings of the entire study obsolete (Banuazizi & Movahedi, 1975). However, there are those that argue that this type of finding can be useful if it is kept in context and the flaws are taken into account when using the information (Brady & Logsdon, 1988). We will write a custom essay sample on Zimbardos Stanford Prison Experiment or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now It is clear from film extracts and published material on the study that, despite possible interpretation bias and methodological flaws, there are situational influences on behaviour, many of which can be influenced by (although not completely dictated by) role-play. Another criticism often made of the SPE is that it lacks ecological validity because the conditions imposed by Zimbardo do not necessarily represent true prison conditions, as they were orchestrated somewhat arbitrarily (Carnahan & McFarland, 2007). This is a somewhat valid criticism, in that it represents the truth – the prison was artificial and held in a basement – but there are several problems with accepting this as an invalidating methodological flaw. Additionally, many pointed out the similarity between the SPE and the situation found in Abu Ghraib, suggesting that there are some real-world situations which can be likened to the SPE (Zimbardo, 2006), however rare th ey may be. Despite questionable ecological validity, there are still interesting conclusions that can be drawn from the SPE. There are many situations in which role-play, legitimizing ideology, and imposed authority play a role outside of prison situations (Haslam & Reicher, 2012). Whilst this is an extreme form of many environments, it is still evident that some effect was still being exerted on the prisoners. Again, it is important to take into account this flaw when considering the results of the SPE, but it does not detract from the contribution it made to social psychology.