[beaversmom]

The Stanford Prison Experiment
Official Trailer #1 (2015) Ezra Miller Thriller Movie HD
(click pic to see trailer)

Prison Valley
(click pic to see trailer)

I came across the top movie trailer on FB last night. I immediately saw how such an experiment could be bogus, which prompted me to find out more, and I ran across the Psychology Today article by Peter Gray.

The bottom trailer I came across after a quick trip down to Cañon City, Colorado area last month. The area is called Prison Valley because of the amount of prisons, state and federal, in the area. I haven't seen either film, but I have a feeling both films are pushing an agenda. That's not to say I don't believe there are problems with the justice/correctional systems in the United States. I know where there are humans and government there will always be problems, but I don't like the leftist agenda to undermine the incarceration and punishment of those that truly need to be there.

Related:
Jane Sanders, Bernie's wife, debates Arpaio about Tent City

Bernie Sanders Walks Off Interview After Asked About Wife's Clash With Arpaio

Documentary: The Thin Blue Line Errol Morris, 1988

[Talisker]

Good article, thanks.

[PGR88]

Those in power become abusive, and those subject to that power become immature, passive, and rebellious.

Sounds like Fed.gov and the general electorate.

[fella]

Just a little more proof that the purveyors of psychology are totally bonkers themselves.

[I want the USA back]

Why the “study” is flawed:
“In order to gain insight about the behavior of prisoners and guards in real prisons, ... constructed a simulated prison”.
A simulated prison is not a prison. Forming conclusions about a prison by means of a simulated prison is not science.
The simulated guards and the simulated prisoners weren’t guards and weren’t prisoners, and so they did not know how to act as guards and prisoners. They acted as they believed guards and prisoners act, thus fulfilling the expections of the “researcher.”
I saw it right away. It’s obvious. Yet highly-paid researchers couldn’t see it.
And yes, the author of this article is absolutely right.

[JoeProBono]

The real McCoy

[discostu]

Yep, that’s the problem with a lot of those “experiments”, the situation is so artificial, with a demographic selected from college students, that they really don’t mean anything.

[Mike Darancette]

I the 60s Zimbardo was Psych 101.

[G Larry]

His reason for ignoring the experiment is good as far as it goes, but it ignores other, more profound realities.

Prisoners are Alpha’s, willing to engage in high risk behavior.
Guards are Beta’s who willingly “lock themselves up” for a 30+ year career.

Yes, these are generalizations.

[exDemMom]

I’ve seen this “experiment” discussed elsewhere, often by writers who are completely convinced that the exercise actually revealed something about human nature.

My intuition insists that this “study” is bogus, for a number of reasons. I am glad to see some of the reasons spelled out as to why this is so.

A difficulty with psychological behavioral research is that it is hard to do a proper study with adequate controls. As a result, many studies that are published are not reproducible. Add to that the fact that people exhibit a range of behaviors in various circumstances—making it impossible to say that any specific behavior is characteristic for a specific situation.

Psychological research *can* give valid results, but only if the study is extremely carefully designed.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Flawed or not this still shows just how willing people are to follow orders and live up to their expected roles. The prison part of the experiment seemed to be inconsequential to me.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Really good article. I was especially interested in the ex-con, Carlo Prescott’s, take on what happened. He suggested the inhumane conditions as an indictment of the prison system. The professors then told the students to do what Prescott suggested. Thus, they didn’t come up with it themselves — the critical “result” of the experiment. In retrospect, Prescott has the intellectual honesty to admit that he blew it and participated in a theatrical presentation rather than an actual experiment.

[Celtic Conservative]

It’s interesting seeing something that was proclaimed as gospel truth in my undergraduate studies to be so clearly flawed. I wonder what else from them has also been discredited?

CC

[PapaBear3625]

It looks like the true intent of the researchers was to “prove” that white, middle-class college students will behave just like the underclass if put into prison, that it’s all environmental and situational.

[fungoking]

Zimbardo has milked this for a lot of money and fame. THAT became the dream for college psych professors all across the country.

[Rockingham]

Zimbardo’s experiment ought to be regarded as invalid if not fraudulent. It is so closely aligned though with the prejudices and political agenda of academic psychology that it is almost beyond scrutiny.