Deck 8: Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison

Question 1

The "guards" in the study were told that the researchers were primarily interested in studying the ______.

A) physical structure of the prison
B) abuse of authority
C) admission process in the correctional system
D) behavior of prisoners

Answer 1

D

Question 2

At the beginning of the experiment, prisoners and guards were considered to be ______.

A) psychologically healthy
B) racially diverse
C) subject to dehumanization
D) hostile to authority

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What was the single treatment variable in the experiment?

A) the psychological state of imprisonment
B) payment to participants
C) the assignment of "guard" or "prisoner"
D) normal, healthy males attending colleges throughout the United States

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What purpose did uniforms serve in this experiment?

A) They acted as a shield during physical altercations.
B) They provided warmth for the subjects.
C) They concealed cameras and recording devices.
D) They promoted feelings of anonymity.

Question 5

Throughout the experiment, as guards became more ______, prisoners became more ______.

A) hostile; passive
B) passive; hostile
C) logical; erratic
D) erratic; logical

Question 6

What was the most frequent form of interpersonal contact between guards and prisoners?

A) invasions of personal space
B) physical battery
C) verbal commands
D) sharing of meals

Question 7

How many of the ten guards were found to have engaged in sadistic behavior at some time during the experiment?

A) two
B) five
C) seven
D) ten

Question 8

How did the guards react when they learned the experiment was terminated early?

A) They were distressed.
B) They immediately expressed concern about the prisoners' well-being.
C) They were delighted.
D) They reported feeling fortunate.

Question 9

Each incident on the tapes was scored for the presence of nine behavioral categories. A guard's use of a prisoner's real name would have fallen under the category of ______.

A) command
B) resistance
C) positive threat
D) individuating reference

Question 10

The authors' follow-ups on each subject revealed that negative effects of participation in the experiment were ______.

A) detrimental
B) beneficial
C) life-threatening
D) temporary

Question 11

Why did five prisoners have to be released from the study?

Question 12

Discuss the impact the experiment had on the affective states of both guards and prisoners.

Question 13

After the study, how do you think the prisoners and guards felt when they saw each other in the same civilian clothes again and saw their prison reconverted to a basement laboratory hallway?

Question 14

Identify one potential dispositional hypothesis for this study.

Question 15

Explain the authors' conclusions.