The movie The Stanford Prison Experiment is based on a real-life experiment conducted by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, known as the Stanford Prison Experiment. This study, which occurred between August 14 and August 20, 1971, aimed to explore how prisons affect human behavior. It utilized college students as participants.
Before conducting the experiment, all participants underwent diagnostic interviews and personality tests to exclude individuals with psychological disorders, medical disabilities, or a criminal or drug abuse history. The assignment of guards and prisoners was determined randomly using a coin flip.
During orientation for guards, Phil emphasized the exceptional qualities demonstrated by each of them during their interviews, stating that they were specifically chosen to be the prison guards for this study. Phil’s intention was to elevate the guards’ perception of their position, as humans inherently exist in dominance hierarchies. The human brain possesses an unconscious neurobiological sensor that detects one’s place within such a hierarchy. It is important to note that the human brain remains fundamentally unchanged throughout the course of tens of thousands of years, inherited from our ancestors.
The human brain’s biological development occurred during the stone age in order to ensure survival, but in modern times, humans no longer face the same level of danger. As a result, their brains have stopped evolving biologically and now resemble those from the stone age.
When individuals perceive themselves as skilled in a specific area and their brain senses a high position in that activity’s dominance hierarchy, it releases ‘feel good’ hormones such as dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters. This evolutionary process motivates individuals to continue engaging in pleasurable activities. It helps them advance up the dominance hierarchy and triggers the release of serotonin. Beyond serving as a ‘reward,’ this hormone also influences their emotional well-being.
When prisoners misbehave, guards will punish them using various methods such as exercise and confinement in “The Hole”, a small dark closet used for solitary confinement. The guards utilize operant conditioning to modify the prisoners’ behavior by reinforcing obedience through rewards and punishments.
Operant conditioning involves learning voluntary behavior by experiencing pleasant, positive reinforcements and unpleasant consequences, negative reinforcements, in response to actions. Negative reinforcement occurs when an individual associates punishment with a particular behavior. If this association is repeated frequently, the person will avoid performing that behavior. The human brain naturally seeks to avoid pain. When a person engages in certain behavior and consistently receives positive reinforcement, they will subconsciously or consciously link that behavior to the rewards. In the brain, there are innate mechanisms that seek pleasure, causing the individual to repeat the behavior in order to experience that pleasure. Therefore, manipulating this fundamental principle can shape and alter one’s behavior.
On the second day, 819 convinced his fellow inmates in cell one and cell three to revolt. Cell one obstructed their door using their bed frames, tore off their identification numbers, and removed their stocking caps. The guards employed a fire extinguisher to drive the prisoners away from the door. They then confiscated the beds and confined the ringleader of the rebellion in “The Hole”. Punishment by removal refers to penalizing a behavior by taking away a pleasurable stimulus. In this case, it serves as an instance of punishment by removal as the guards deprived the rebellious prisoners of the enjoyable sensation of lying on a bed.
The guards awarded special privileges to the cell with the lowest level of participation. They were given their beds back and received fast-food during mealtime as a form of reward. The guards also publicly commended them. The fast-food prize serves as a primary reinforcer as it fulfills basic biological needs such as hunger and thirst. The praises function as a secondary reinforcer, which means they become reinforcing when combined with a primary reinforcer like compliments, tokens, or gold stars. These are considered positive reinforcement since they promote obedience by providing a pleasurable stimulus, such as praises and special privileges.
As time passed, the prisoners gradually became more submissive and compliant towards the guards, indicating that the manipulation tactics employed by the guards had been successful. The prisoners ceased to demonstrate resistance or retaliatory behaviors, even in situations where the guards instructed them to engage in absurd actions. A notable instance is when the guards commanded all the prisoners, except for 416, to perform a mock mating ritual of male and female camels. Despite its outrageous nature, the prisoners complied without resistance or defiance due to their apprehension of facing further mistreatment.
The prisoners in this situation went through a phenomenon referred to as learned helplessness, where they became conscious of their powerlessness. This happens when individuals are repeatedly exposed to stressful situations and develop the belief that they have no control over the outcome. Consequently, they lose motivation to even attempt when opportunities arise. Despite some prisoners trying rebellion or escape, none of them succeeded. The ongoing abuse and deteriorating conditions eventually led the prisoners to give up and show signs of learned helplessness. They started believing that escaping or taking control of their situation was impossible. This perception of events being uncontrollable can negatively impact one’s mental and physical well-being. The prisoners demonstrated disrupted emotions, exhibiting either passivity or aggression.
The prisoners were deprived of sleep for a prolonged period, as they were not allowed to sleep. Additionally, the lack of sunlight within the prison and the provision of innutritious meals contributed to these conditions. Such factors have the potential to induce depression, which can arise from either biological or chemical factors.
The prisoners experience sleep deprivation due to a chemical factor. The night shift guards disturb their circadian rhythm by permitting them to sleep only briefly, which contradicts their natural sleep-wake cycle. A circadian rhythm, also referred to as a circadian cycle, is an inherent biological process that governs the sleep-wake cycle and happens roughly every 24 hours. It can be applicable to any organism’s process that is responsive to environmental cues. The circadian rhythm functions as an internal clock in the brain and may result in depression caused by a chemical imbalance.
The lack of sunlight in the basement location of the simulated prison can result in feelings of depression. Sunlight plays a crucial role in stimulating the brain to release neurotransmitters such as serotonin. When there is not enough exposure to sunlight, serotonin levels decrease along with the synthesis of vitamin D. The sun’s UVB rays interact with cholesterol present in skin cells, which helps produce vitamin D. A meta-analysis conducted in 2013 found that individuals experiencing depression had lower levels of vitamin D and were statistically more likely to develop depression compared to those with low levels of vitamin D. Furthermore, a study conducted in 2005 revealed that areas of the brain associated with depression also possess receptors for vitamin D.
Prisoners in prison were compelled to consume insufficient and unhealthy meals, comprising of only one slice of bread served with baked beans or eggs and two sausages. These meals did not provide the required amount of calories or nutrition. Amino acids are crucial for the human body as they constitute the fundamental components of proteins. Foods that are rich in protein, like tryptophan, tyrosine, histidine, and arginine, have a significant role in generating neurotransmitters that promote mental well-being within the central nervous system (CNS).
Tryptophan is responsible for the production of serotonin, while tyrosine is responsible for the production of norepinephrine, dopamine, and adrenaline. Serotonin regulates mood, anxiety, and other functions. Norepinephrine and adrenaline stimulate brain activity to improve energy levels and attentiveness through enhanced neuron communication. Dopamine facilitates communication within the brain and controls movement.
Fed up with the guards’ increasing aggression, Jesse and the parole board team parted ways with Phil. Following the fallout, Phil continued to monitor the test subjects, noting the heightened violence of the guards and the deteriorating situation. Consequently, Phil chose to conclude the experiment. Two months later, the test subjects were assembled and interviewed, with no lasting harm or long-term effects inflicted upon any of them.
