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The study was funded by the US Navy to explain conflict in its and the Marine Corps' prison systems. Zimbardo and his team intended to test the hypothesis that prison guard s and convicts were self-selecting, of a certain disposition that would naturally lead to poor conditions in that situation.
Participants were recruited via a newspaper ad and offered $15 a day to participate in a two-week "prison simulation." Of the 70 respondents, Zimbardo and his team selected 24 whom they deemed to be the most psychologically stable and healthy. These participants were predominantly white, middle-class young males.
The group was divided in half at random into an equal group of "prisoners" and "guards". Interestingly, prisoners later said they thought the guards had been chosen for their larger physical size, but in reality they had been picked by a fair coin toss and there was no objective difference in stature between the two groups.
The prison itself would be run out of the basement of the Stanford Psychology Department, which had been converted into a mock jail. An undergraduate research assistant was the "warden" and Zimbardo the "superintendent".
Zimbardo set up a number of specific conditions on the participants which he hoped would promote disorientation , depersonalization and deindividuation .
Guards were given wooden batonThe term Baton refers to any of several types of cylindrical or tapered instruments composed of a wide variety of materials, and of differing functions: A baton (billy, billy club, nightstick, riot stick) is a type of striking/parrying weapon, staff or cls and a khaki, military-style uniformThis page describes uniform in the sense of clothing. For other meanings, see uniform (disambiguation . A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organisation whilst participating in that organisation's activity. People performing reli they had chosen themselves at a local army-navy store. They were also given mirrorshade sunglasses to prevent eye contactEye contact is an intense nonverbal, visual connection made as one person gazes into the eyes of another. It is a highly emotional link established as two people simultaneously observe each other's eyes. Gazing at another's eyes arouses strong emotions. (Zimbardo said he got the idea from the movie Cool Hand LukeCool Hand Luke is a 1967 film which tells the story of a prisoner in a Georgia prison camp who refuses to knuckle under to the system. Paul Newman stars as the title character. George Kennedy, J. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Strother Martin, Jo Van). Unlike the prisoners, the guards were to work in shifts and return home during off hours, though at times many would later volunteer for added duty without additional pay.
Prisoners were to wear only intentionally ill-fitting muslinMuslin is a type of fine cotton fabric, introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century. It is named for the city of Mosul in modern Iraq where it was first made. Muslin is typically a closely woven unbleached or white cloth, produced from c smocks (without underwear) and rubber thong sandals, which Zimbardo said would force them to adopt "unfamiliar body postures" and discomfort in the interest of their disorientation. Instead of names, they were assigned numbers which were sewn onto their uniforms, and tight-fitting nylonNylon Density1150 kg/m3 Electrical conductivity(σ)10-12 (m· ohm)-1 Thermal conductivity0. 25 W/(m·K) Nylon is a synthetic polymer, a plastic, invented on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at the E. du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, pantyhose caps to simulate shaven heads similar to those of military basic training. In addition, they would have to wear a small chain around their ankles as a "constant reminder" of their imprisonment and oppression.
The day before the experiment, guards attended a brief orientation meeting but were given no formal guidelines, other than that no physical violence was permitted. They were told it was their responsibility to run the prison, which they could do in any way they wished.
The participants who had been chosen to play the part of prisoners were told simply to wait in their homes to be "called on" on the day the experiment began. Without any other warning, they were "charged" with armed robbery and arrested by the actual Palo Alto police department, who were cooperating in this part of the experiment.
The prisoners were put through a full booking procedure by the police, including fingerprinting and having their mug shots taken, and were informed of their Miranda rights. They were transported to the mock prison where they were strip-searched, " deloused" and given their new identities.
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