Who conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971?

Study for the Clinical Research and Ethical Considerations Test. Enhance your understanding with multiple choice questions covering essential ethical guidelines and research methodologies. Prepare effectively for your test!

The main idea tested is who led the Stanford Prison Experiment and what that study showed about roles and power. Philip Zimbardo conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment at Stanford University in 1971. In a planned mock prison, volunteers were assigned as guards or prisoners, and the environment and assigned roles rapidly influenced behavior. Guards began acting abusively and prisoners showed distress, illustrating how situational factors and institutional power can shape actions far beyond what individuals might do in ordinary settings. The experiment was halted early due to ethical concerns and escalating harm, which underscored the need for stricter protections for participants in research. This work helped drive reforms in research ethics and the development of oversight to safeguard participants. For contrast, Stanley Milgram conducted separate obedience studies in the 1960s, which explored authority and compliance but in a different setup, not the Stanford Prison Experiment.