Critics of the Stanford Prison Study Argue That

question 56

Multiple Choice

Critics of the Stanford prison study argue that:

• A) the methodology was flawed, because participants were not randomly assigned to either the prisoner role or the guard role.
• B) by stopping the study after six days instead of letting it continue for the two-week experimental period, the researchers had not allowed enough time for dramatic change to occur.
• C) a makeshift prison in the basement of a university building was not an effective setting to investigate the factors involved.
• D) briefing the guards at the beginning of the study influenced their behaviour, and the study merely showed how willingly people obey orders.

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Definitions:

Failures

Instances of inability to perform a task or achieve a goal as expected or required.

Adaptive Coping

Strategies that individuals use to effectively manage or reduce stress through positive actions, cognitive restructuring, or problem-solving techniques.

Lease

A contractual agreement by which one party conveys property, land, services, etc., to another for a specified time, usually in return for a periodic payment.

Compromise

A way of resolving disagreements in which each party gives up something but also gains something in return.