For this writing project we will explore two famous sociological experiments: Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison and Milgram’s study on obedience. In your response, you should
(1) include a brief summary of each study and their significance/major findings. Then respond to the following:
(2) Were you surprised by the results of each study? Why or why not (be specific)?
(3) If replicated today (ignore ethical constraints for this part – let’s assume that IRBs would approve these studies now), how might the results compare and/or contrast to their initial instances? In other words, are humans, societies, cultures, or humans within various societies and cultures fundamentally different today than in the 1960s and 1970s?
(4) Are there real-world examples (or inspirations) that seem to legitimize the results of these studies (hint: consider instances like World War II and Abu Ghraib prison)? If so, what does that mean regarding the legacies of these studies? Defend each answer.
Your response should be 5 pages in length (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point, 1-inch margins).
Properly use and cite at least five sources.
Your response will be graded based on the following criteria (200 points total):
Syntax, form (i.e., flow of the paper and proper use of paragraphs), grammar, spelling, typographical errors, length, proper use of citations: 40 pts
Well defended answers to questions in the prompt: 160 pts
