SDSU Social Learning Stanford Prison Experiment Analysis Q&A Discussion

Phillip Zimbardo conducted one of the most famous experiments in the field of social psychology. The results of this experiment, the Stanford Prison Experiment, triggered questions on social learning theory, conformity, and just how far people will go to play an assigned role with a perceived authority figure present.

Read about the Stanford Prison Experiment and watch the embedded videos on the website.

Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word paper to address the following questions:

• What are the major tenets of Social Learning Theory, and how were these tenets displayed in the Stanford Prison Experiment?
• What role would you have preferred if you had been a participant in this study, a prison guard or an inmate? Why?
• What would you have done differently than the participants in the study (both inmates and guards)?
• The field of psychology gained a lot of information from this study. Given the ethical concerns, was the knowledge we now have about social learning, conformity, and obedience to authority figures worth it? Why or why not?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

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