Annette Taylor wrote:
> Also, let me add to Paul's statement that it wasn't just personality that
was
> controlled! The misinterpretation of the prison study seems to be greater
than
> that because he is also calling into question the 'power of the situation'
(to
> borrow Zimbardo's phrase) when he says that, for example, ethnicity played
a
> role in the Abu Ghraib situation that was not present at Stanford--and
then he
> tries to say that the prison study would not predict that! Huh? Clearly,
to me
> at least, what Zimbardo showed was that these behaviors emerged DESPITE
> holding constant variables such as ethnicity. When, left to vary, such a
> variable might only add to the negative behaviors that emerged amongst the
> guards.
This is exactly why we need to continue to think of research methods -
in particular those involved with control of variables - as an essential
part of a standard liberal arts education.
Re. the situational versus dispositional part of this, last week NPR
reported that there were some abuses by U.S. Marines as well, but that the
Marines handled the situation properly (that is, that they ended it
immediately, and removed the perpetrators from the situation), avoiding
scandal, in large part because they properly had outside supervision in
place in advance. Of course one might argue that Marines are simply of
higher character than those in the Army, perhaps with some justification,
but I'm much more inclined to see it as a demonstration of the success of
the kinds of things that Zimbardo recommends. I would like to see a LOT more
discussion of the contrast between the two situations.
As far as "the conservative response", I wouldn't make too much of what
one site says. There have been quite a few different, contradictory
"conservative responses" even among the major national names.
- Bush tells us that he is disgusted by the behaviors he saw, and that he
doesn't know "that America".
- Limbaugh tells us that the behaviors weren't that bad, and that they're
justified in context (i.e., he pushes relativist morality as an answer)
- Conservative columnist Cal Thomas tells us that the behaviors were
atrocities, but that the feminists are to blame (No, I'm not making that up.
It was his column last week).
It's clearly not a good idea to try to interpret anything as "the
conservative response", other than in very general terms.
Paul Smith
Alverno College
Milwaukee
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