I completely agree with the limitations of the Stanford study. I discuss this at length with my students (when we cover it in Social). I typically describe it as a study and never an experiment (although subjects were randomly assigned to be prisoners or guards). With respect to the prison scandal I find it much more useful to draw instead on the carefully conducted and extensive social psychological literature showing the power of the situation. Marie
On Monday, May 24, 2004 12:20 PM, Ken Steele wrote: > >Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 12:20:47 -0400 >From: Ken Steele >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Stanford Prison Exp -- A Teacher's "Teaching Moment" > >The results of the "Stanford Prison Experiment" are being widely applied >as an explanation of the events at Abu Graihb. Frankly, I see the basis >of this application as only a superficial extension of the standard >"power of the situation" argument. Otherwise there are many differences >between the two cases. > >I am not, and have never been, impressed with the Stanford Prison >Experiment *as an experiment.* The continued citation of this work >seems to violate everything that we try to teach students in research >methods classes. The procedure seems replete with the opportunity for >subjects to pick up role-playing cues from the experimenters. The >dependent measures are very loose and subject to selective attention by >the experimenters. There has been no systematic replication and >extension of the work by independent researchers. What is the >theoretical and practical legacy of this work beyond a "power of the >situation" demonstration? > >Sure there is a great video and lots of attention-capturing anecdotes >for sleepy undergrads. But aren't we trying to teach our students to be >wary of basing conclusions using this type of information? > >I invite psychology instructors to skip the textbook descriptions, to >read the original article and decide whether its fame is due to good >titillation or to good science. > >Here is a link to the original article in pdf format: > >http://www.prisonexp.org/pdf/ijcp1973.pdf > >Ken > >--------------------------------------------------------------- >Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Professor >Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu >Appalachian State University >Boone, NC 28608 >USA >--------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > >--- >You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************* Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013 ************************************* --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
