(no subject)

[pearwaldorf]

The website of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Everybody learns about this in psych and research classes as a lesson on what not to do when one is doing an experiment, but I don't think most people get a really detailed description of what really went on in the experiment. It's interesting, because it's put together by Phillip Zimbardo, the man who conceived and carried out the thing. It discusses what happened, and his own reaction to people "outside" who questioned what the shit he was doing to these college students. It's frightening how people got totally sucked into their roles, and how incredibly transformed they were by the end of only six days. In light of what happened in Abu Ghraib, all I'd like to say is the only thing in this experiment that made one boy into a guard or a prisoner was a coin toss.

Comments

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

The Standford thing always creeps me out majorly, mainly because I suspect I'd be exactly like that as well. Power is a frightening thing.