The first article that we were assigned to read I found extremely interesting as well as surprising. It was very surprising for me to think that government officials or politicians are elected due to the fact that they have a certain type of voice, their mannerisms are a certain way, how they present themselves, and their physical attractiveness/ body. The article discussed President Warren Harding who was arguably one of the worst presidents ever elected but because of his “Physique, bronzed complexion, sonorous voice, and smooth motions” he was elected as president because he had this presidential look about him. In addition, I found it very interesting that our brain fills in the missing pieces of our world due to the Gestalt principle of “closure”. In my psychology class, we were given a piece of paper in which a dot was placed on the page. We were instructed to cover one of our eyes and what ended up happening was the dot disappeared because my brain filled in that piece of missing information and assumed the dot wasn’t there.
The next article discussed the Stanford Prison Experiment which I thought was so very fascinating. They selected a group of young males to participate in their study in which half of them would be guards and the other half prisoners. They set up in the psychology building all of the different aspects of prison. The goal of the experiment was to discover the effects of perceived power between inmates and correctional officers. What started as a simulation turned serious very quickly. The guards truly began to act as guards and the prisoners truly began to act like prisoners. They took to their roles as if this were a real-life event, not a simulation. They, unfortunately, had to end the experiment early but this type of experiment today would not be allowed due to the IRB.
I agree that it is very interesting that the way a person presents themselves matters in their success in fields such as politics. This semester, we read a book in my justice class that talked about how when hiring employees, many companies don’t necessarily want the smartest candidate. They are far more likely to hire a candidate who has an ok GPA, but is also attractive and personable.
I think the most interesting part about the Stanford Prison experiment is the lasting effects it had on some participants, both guards and prisoners. While the experiment teaches us a lot about psychology and human’s relationship with power, I think it also literally tells us a lot about how our current prison system does not help either party i.e. the guards/the state, and the prisoners.
This is such a great topic to talk about right before our ethics paper! It raises questions about what is ethical? Did the Stanford Prison experiment help more people than it hurt?
I think when looking at the Standford prison experiment, you can learn a lot about power and manipulation. The guards let the power go to their heads and the prisoners felt helpless to stop it. With all of the current events surrounding mass incarceration and the sub-par treatment of people in the prison system, this study is still relevant to look at.
I found the article to be very interesting as well. The human mind really does work in mysterious ways. I also think the experiment you did in your psychology class was pretty interesting and directly correlates to the reading.