The Experiment

From: Steve Drew (sd014a6399@blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: Mon May 20 2002 - 22:03:21 BST

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Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 22:03:21 +0100
Subject: The Experiment
From: Steve Drew <sd014a6399@blueyonder.co.uk>
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    Hi Vincent.

    >
    > Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 11:20:18 +0100
    > From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
    > Subject: The Experiment
    >
    > Hi Everyone,
    >
    > Using my web-access here, so don't know if this'll get through or not.
    >
    > Anyway, following Steve's reminder I've been watching 'The Experiment' a
    > repeat of the zimbardo prison experiment from the 1970s. It has been
    > fascinating TV, and I feel shows how reality TV can have its moments (when
    > prize money, or hoped for fame, isn't a factor).
    >
    > For those who can't see the show yet, so far almost the reverse has happened
    > to what happened in Stanford. The 'guards' have totally failed to exert
    > control and authority, and the 'prisoners' have been in charge since about
    > day 2, when on prisoner over-looked for "promotion" to being a guard decided
    > at that moment to play mind games with the guards, with lots of success.

    I have only seen the first episode so far. Some interesting stuff emerging .
    The only quibble I have is that it nowhere near a recreation of Zimbardo's
    Expt (not surprisingly!). The age demographics are far more spread out than
    the originals, so the participants have had more practice and experience of
    the uses and abuses of power. Could they have been afraid that if they used
    young (early 20's) males that they would encounter the same problems? At
    what age are many people radicalised? It seems to me to be at about the same
    age as Zimbardo's original participants.

    Your thoughts on this?

    Regards,

    Steve

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