Question

The participants who acted as guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment

a. identified with the prisoners and acted in a similar manner.

b. developed stress-related symptoms, such as psychosomatic rashes.

c. behaved aggressively and even sadistically toward the prisoners.

d. showed negative after effects that lasted for years.

Answer 1

The guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment behaved aggressively and sadistically toward the prisoners, demonstrating the power of social roles in influencing behavior. The study was terminated early due to the extreme distress and abuse that unfolded.

Step-by-step explanation:

The participants who acted as guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment behaved aggressively and even sadistically toward the prisoners. This groundbreaking study conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 aimed to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power and the dynamics between prisoners and guards. Following a random assignment of roles, the students assigned as guards quickly exhibited a range of abusive behaviors, highlighting the impact of social roles, norms, and scripts on human behavior. The severity of the guards' behavior escalated rapidly resulting in significant distress among the prisoners, which ultimately led to the early termination of the experiment just six days in, instead of the planned two weeks.