In the Stanford prison experiment, volunteers were randomly assigned to play the role of either prisoner or prison guard. Their
interactions soon grew so abusive that the experiment had to be cut short. Write an editorial for your high school newspaper about the experiment. Your editorial should briefly address the following questions: 1. What research method was used in the study? 2. What kind of data was collected (qualitative or quantitative)? 3. What were the main social functions and social dysfunctions reflected in the research? 4. What ethical issues surrounded the experiment and the role of informed consent? 5. How would the results of the experiment be described from the perspective of critical sociology?
Quantitative - numbers from results (length of times/etc) + Qualitative - descriptions of what happened to prisoners/wardens
Functions: demonstrated the power of social roles, norms, and scripts in affecting human behavior Dysfunctions: subjects were not treated equally / overpowered
Subjects were not FULLY informed of the possible hazards or distress of study, environment of experiment, and that the experiment was unpredictable.
Need for social change. Results would describe the need for more ethical information rules and laws for subjects in experiments. Fight for more humane rights in experiment
.
