B2: Stanford Prison Experiment
Below is a B2 level English reading task about the famous experiment from professor Phil Zambardo atthe University of Stanford in California in August of 1971. Good luck and enjoy!
A Brief Introduction to Dr. Philip Zimbardo
​​
According to Zimbardo.com
Dr. Philip George Zimbardo, a towering persona in the field of psychology, was widely recognized for his pioneering and controversial 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. This overview will explore the life journey and illustrious career of Zimbardo, from his humble beginnings in New York City to his eventual rise to prominence as a leading American psychologist.
​
Zimbardo was born on March 23, 1933, in New York City, to Sicilian immigrants. He passed away on October 14, 2024 at the age of 91. His early life in a South Bronx neighborhood shaped his interest in understanding human behavior and the influence of social situations. He later attended Brooklyn College and Yale University, where he excelled academically and laid the foundation for his future contributions to psychology.
​
Zimbardo’s extensive research interests span across social psychology, time perspective (TP), shyness, terrorism, and hypnosis. His pedagogical endeavors include teaching at Yale, New York University, Columbia University, and Stanford University, where he conducted the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. This experiment, which studied the psychological effects of perceived power and the interaction between prison guards and prisoners, has had a profound impact on the field of social psychology, sparking debates on ethical standards in experimental studies.
​
Dr. Zimbardo’s numerous accolades and awards bear testimony to his groundbreaking work, including his presidency of the American Psychological Association. His enduring impact on contemporary psychology continues to be felt today, with his theories and research influencing both academic discourse and practical applications in the field.
- ​
Quiz 1.0
​​​
-
Directions
Read each question carefully.
Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) for each item.
Circle or mark only one answer per question.
​
Early life
1. Philip Zimbardo’s early interest in human behavior was strongly influenced by his childhood experiences in which area?
A. A wealthy neighborhood in Manhattan
B. A South Bronx neighborhood in New York City
C. A rural town in upstate New York
D. A suburb of San Francisco
2. Birth and death
​
2 - Which of the following correctly gives both Zimbardo’s birth and death years?
A. 1923–2014
B. 1933–2024
C. 1941–2011
D. 1950–2020
3. Education
3 - Before becoming a leading psychologist, Zimbardo studied at which pair of institutions?
A. Harvard University and Princeton University
B. UCLA and the University of Chicago
C. Brooklyn College and Yale University
D. Columbia University and MIT
4. Main research areas
4 - Zimbardo’s research interests included all of the following EXCEPT:
A. Time perspective
B. Shyness
C. Terrorism and hypnosis
D. Genetic inheritance in twins
5. Purpose of the Stanford Prison Experiment
5 - The Stanford Prison Experiment is best described as a study of:
A. How brain injuries affect memory over time
B. The psychological effects of perceived power in a prison setting
C. The influence of diet on aggression in prisoners
D. The long-term impact of therapy on criminal behavior
6. Teaching career
6 - Which list includes universities where Zimbardo taught during his academic career?
A. Yale, New York University, Columbia, and Stanford
B. Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, and Stanford
C. MIT, Duke, Columbia, and Chicago
D. Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, and NYU
7. Professional recognition
7 - Which achievement reflects Zimbardo’s recognition as a major figure in psychology?
A. Serving as president of the American Psychological Association
B. Winning a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
C. Becoming Surgeon General of the United States
D. Serving as secretary-general of the United Nations
​
Answer Key Zimbardo
Answer Key:
-
1. B
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. B
6. A
7. A
-
​
According to Britannica
The Stanford Prison Experiment was a social psychology study in which college students became prisoners or guards in a simulated prison environment. The experiment, funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, took place at Stanford University in August 1971. It was intended to measure the effect of role-playing, labeling, and social expectations on behavior over a period of two weeks. However, mistreatment of prisoners escalated so alarmingly that the principal investigator, the American psychologist Philip G. Zimbardo, terminated the experiment after only six days
​​
More than 70 young men responded to an advertisement about a “psychological study of prison life,” and experimenters selected 24 applicants who were judged to be physically and mentally healthy and well adjusted. The paid subjects—they received $15 a day—were divided randomly into equal numbers of guards and prisoners. Guards were ordered not to physically abuse prisoners and were issued mirrored sunglasses that prevented any eye contact. Prisoners were “arrested” by actual police and handed over to the experimenters in a mock prison in the basement of a campus building. Prisoners were then subjected to indignities that were intended to simulate the environment of a real-life prison. In keeping with Zimbardo’s intention to create very quickly an “atmosphere of oppression,” each prisoner was made to wear a “dress” as a uniform and to carry a chain padlocked around one ankle. All participants were observed and videotaped by the experimenters.
​​
On only the second day the prisoners staged a rebellion that was put down by the guards. Guards then worked out a system of rewards and punishments to manage the prisoners. Within the first four days, three prisoners had become so traumatized that they were released. Over the course of the experiment, some of the guards became cruel and tyrannical, and a number of the prisoners became depressed and disoriented. However, only after an outside observer came upon the scene and registered shock did Zimbardo end the experiment, less than a week after it had started
​​​
​
Despite its early termination, the experiment seemed to show that the regular attitudes and behavior of normal persons could be dramatically altered by the social situations in which they find themselves. Zimbardo himself claimed that the experiment’s “social forces and environmental contingencies” had led the guards to behave badly. However, some critics claimed that the experiment showed only that the original advertisement had attracted people who were predisposed to authoritarianism. Others accused Zimbardo of encouraging the guards’ cruelty through his own actions. Zimbardo admitted that during the experiment he had sometimes felt more like a prison superintendent than a research psychologist.
​
The most conspicuous challenge to the Stanford findings came decades later in the form of the BBC Prison Study, a differently organized experiment documented in a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) series called The Experiment (2002). The BBC’s mock prisoners turned out to be more assertive than Zimbardo’s. The British experimenters called the Stanford experiment “a study of what happens when a powerful authority figure (Zimbardo) imposes tyranny.”
​
The Stanford Prison Experiment also became widely known outside academia. It was the acknowledged inspiration for Das Experiment (2001), a German movie that was remade in the United States as the direct-to-video film The Experiment (2010). The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) was created with Zimbardo’s active participation; the dramatic film more closely followed actual events.
-
​​​​
Quiz 1
Stanford Prison Experiment Quiz
Directions
Read each question carefully. Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) for each item based on the Britannica article about the Stanford Prison Experiment. Circle or mark your answer clearly.
-
The main purpose of the Stanford Prison Experiment was to study
A. the effect of heredity on criminal behavior
B. how prison architecture influences escape attempts
C. the effect of role-playing, labeling, and social expectations on behavior
D. how medication can reduce aggression in prisoners -
Where and when did the Stanford Prison Experiment take place?
A. Harvard University, June 1965
B. Stanford University, August 1971
C. Yale University, September 1973
D. University of California, July 1970 -
How were participants chosen for the experiment?
A. They were selected from actual prison inmates
B. They were drafted from the military
C. Volunteers responded to an advertisement, and 24 healthy, well-adjusted men were selected
D. Guards selected their own prisoners from a list -
Which detail was used to create an “atmosphere of oppression” for the prisoners?
A. Prisoners were allowed to keep their regular clothes
B. Prisoners wore a “dress” as a uniform and had a chain padlocked around one ankle
C. Prisoners were given sunglasses to hide their eyes
D. Prisoners were allowed to decorate their cells freely -
Why was the experiment ended earlier than planned?
A. A fire destroyed the mock prison
B. The participants refused to follow any instructions
C. Funding from the Office of Naval Research was cut
D. The guards’ mistreatment of prisoners became alarming, and an outside observer was shocked by what they saw -
Which statement best describes one major criticism of the Stanford Prison Experiment?
A. The study was too long to be useful
B. Only female participants were used, so results were biased
C. The advertisement may have attracted people already predisposed to authoritarian behavior
D. The guards were not given any instructions at all -
What did the later BBC Prison Study suggest about the Stanford findings?
A. It fully confirmed everything Zimbardo claimed
B. It showed that prisoners always become passive and helpless
C. It suggested that the Stanford study was mainly about what happens when a powerful authority figure imposes tyranny
D. It proved that role-playing has no effect on behavior
​
​​
Answer Key
-
C
-
B
-
C
-
B
-
D
-
C
-
C
External Links:
​
​
​https://www.britannica.com/event/Stanford-Prison-Experiment
​
​
​
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibmVwf-SARM
​​
​​
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_stanford_prison_experiment_unlocking_the_truth/s01
​
​
​
​
Other English Reading Tasks from Academic Tutors USA
"Children of yesterday, heirs of tomorrow, what are you weaving? Labor and sorrow?"
from the hymn "Life in the Loom," written by Mary A. Lathbury