What are the ethical implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

The Stanford Prison Experiment raised ethical concerns regarding the treatment of participants and validity of results.

The experiment involved randomly assigning participants to roles of prisoners or guards in a simulated prison environment. The guards quickly became abusive and the prisoners suffered psychological distress. The experiment was terminated after only six days, instead of the planned two weeks, due to the severity of the situation.

The ethical concerns raised include the lack of informed consent, as participants were not fully aware of the nature of the experiment or the potential harm they may experience. The participants were also not protected from harm, as the experiment caused psychological distress and even trauma.

Furthermore, the experiment lacked scientific validity as it was not conducted in a controlled environment. The researchers had a vested interest in the outcome of the experiment and may have influenced the behaviour of the participants. The sample size was also too small to draw generalisations about human behaviour.

A-Level Psychology Tutor Summary: The Stanford Prison Experiment, which simulated a prison environment, is criticised for ethical issues like not fully informing participants about the experiment's risks, causing them psychological harm, and lacking scientific reliability. The study's setup led to abusive behaviour, raising serious questions about consent, participant safety, and the influence of the researchers on the experiment's outcome.