Research Methodology M1 Daniel Trew
M1: Discuss the function of research in chosen area interest.
IN this assignment I will choose two examples of research from health and social
care and I will discuss the reasons as to why they were carried out and the outcomes
obtained. I will also refer to bias and validity in my answer. I will also look at why the
research was carried out, who carried it out and what was found. The first piece of
research I will discuss is the Stanford Prison Experiment.
The Sandford Prison experiment was carried out on the 14 th-20th of August in 1971. It
was a social psychology experiment that attempted to investigate the psychological
effects of perceived power, the experiment focused on the struggle between
prisoners and prison officers. It was conducted by Phillip Zimbardo- A psychology
professor. He held the experiment at Stanford University and college students took
part and played the officers and prisoners- they were randomly assigned these roles.
Zimbardo served as the superintendent of the prison. Throughout the experiment
many prisoners left and soon after the experiment started it was abandoned- 6 days.
Results showed that the college students quickly embraced their roles that they were
assigned. Many of the guards enforced authoritarian measures and this led to
subjecting prisoners to psychological torture. Many prisoners accepted this as part of
the experiment and by order of the prison guards harassed other prisoners who tried
to stop the abuse. This experiment has been described in many different textbooks
however, some have chosen to exclude it as its methodology is often questioned.
Method of Research:
Male college students were recruited and informed that they would take part in a
two-week prison simulation in which half would become the officers and the other
half would become prisoners. The researchers chose 24 applicants whose test
results showed that they would be the most psychologically stable throughout the
experiment. These individuals were mostly white and belonged to the middle class.
This group was purposely chosen to exclude those with any criminal background,
psychological issues or any medical problems. All of them agreed to participate in a
7-14-day period and received $15 a day.
The experiment took part in a 35-foot section of the basement of the Stanford
psychology building known as the Jordan Hall. The simulated prison has two
makeshift walls- one at the entrance and the other at the cell wall to block any
observation. Every cell was around 6 x 9 feet. They call contained a bed for the
prisoner. The guards were allowed extremely different living environments. They
were given rest and relaxation areas.
12 of the 24 participants were assigned prisoners and there was 3 placed as
substitutes. The other 12 were given the role of guards while 3 were also substitutes.
As previously mentioned, Zimbardo was served at the superintendent of the prison.
An undergraduate took the role of the warden. Zimbardo designed the experiment in
order to induce depersonalization, disorientation and deindividualization.
Researchers held an orientation session for all the participants who took on roles as
guards. They were instructed not to harm the prisoners in any way physically and
they were not to withhold food or drink from them either. IN recorded footage from
M1: Discuss the function of research in chosen area interest.
IN this assignment I will choose two examples of research from health and social
care and I will discuss the reasons as to why they were carried out and the outcomes
obtained. I will also refer to bias and validity in my answer. I will also look at why the
research was carried out, who carried it out and what was found. The first piece of
research I will discuss is the Stanford Prison Experiment.
The Sandford Prison experiment was carried out on the 14 th-20th of August in 1971. It
was a social psychology experiment that attempted to investigate the psychological
effects of perceived power, the experiment focused on the struggle between
prisoners and prison officers. It was conducted by Phillip Zimbardo- A psychology
professor. He held the experiment at Stanford University and college students took
part and played the officers and prisoners- they were randomly assigned these roles.
Zimbardo served as the superintendent of the prison. Throughout the experiment
many prisoners left and soon after the experiment started it was abandoned- 6 days.
Results showed that the college students quickly embraced their roles that they were
assigned. Many of the guards enforced authoritarian measures and this led to
subjecting prisoners to psychological torture. Many prisoners accepted this as part of
the experiment and by order of the prison guards harassed other prisoners who tried
to stop the abuse. This experiment has been described in many different textbooks
however, some have chosen to exclude it as its methodology is often questioned.
Method of Research:
Male college students were recruited and informed that they would take part in a
two-week prison simulation in which half would become the officers and the other
half would become prisoners. The researchers chose 24 applicants whose test
results showed that they would be the most psychologically stable throughout the
experiment. These individuals were mostly white and belonged to the middle class.
This group was purposely chosen to exclude those with any criminal background,
psychological issues or any medical problems. All of them agreed to participate in a
7-14-day period and received $15 a day.
The experiment took part in a 35-foot section of the basement of the Stanford
psychology building known as the Jordan Hall. The simulated prison has two
makeshift walls- one at the entrance and the other at the cell wall to block any
observation. Every cell was around 6 x 9 feet. They call contained a bed for the
prisoner. The guards were allowed extremely different living environments. They
were given rest and relaxation areas.
12 of the 24 participants were assigned prisoners and there was 3 placed as
substitutes. The other 12 were given the role of guards while 3 were also substitutes.
As previously mentioned, Zimbardo was served at the superintendent of the prison.
An undergraduate took the role of the warden. Zimbardo designed the experiment in
order to induce depersonalization, disorientation and deindividualization.
Researchers held an orientation session for all the participants who took on roles as
guards. They were instructed not to harm the prisoners in any way physically and
they were not to withhold food or drink from them either. IN recorded footage from
