Task  on Zimbardo to be completed by 30th March

1. Terms from the lecture : explain 2 terms each

2. Vocabulary from the lecture : explain 3 words each .

3. Writing - answer in writing one of the questions , e-mail your writing to me , I shall correct it and post it to the wiki .

1. What does Zimbardo mean by the following terms ?

a few bad apples

good apples in a bad barrel

attributional charity

dispositional analysis 

causal impact

behavioural context

transformation of human character

digitally documented depravity

trophy photos

situational approach

systematic approach

fundamental attributional error

blind obedience to authority

external validity

models of compliance

psychology of heroism

de-individuation

group comraderie

the evil of inaction

quantifying evil

degradation ritual

Schlesinger report

to dis-inhibit

 

 2.Explain the following words:

 

 to enhance

accolade

to sneak

startled

inexcusable

visual parallel

evil deeds

theologian

 allegedly 

reconciliation

to seduce 

foreshadowing

  the bottom line is 

to demean a human being

detainees

insurgency 

to languish

dungeon

to perpetrate 

a perpetrator 

do you dig it ?

to bias

run-of-the-mill

 to draw straws 

 to yell

 to have the guts

 cyanide

descent to hell

 to mutilate

to kick in the groin

to flip a coin

gooks

dormitory

prison chaplain

solitary confinement

 to strip

villain

 

 

Answer in writing ( up to 400 words  ) one of the following questions . 

 

1. Why is evil relative ?

2. Why are we fascinated with evil ?

3. Can you draw any parrallels between Zimbardo's lecture and the BBC documentary The Century of the Self ?

4. Why are good people able to do horrifying things ?

5.'All research is artificial ' says Zimbardo . Do you agree ?

6. Describe Zimbardo's receipe for doing evil .

7. Why were 1971 women , mentioned because of one of the experiments in Zimbardo's lecture , more likely to be obedient to male authority than women today ?

8. What does Zimbardo mean when he says ' culture has wisdom ' with regards to military uniforms ?

 

9. Why does Zimbardo mention the book by William Golding Lord of the Flies ?

10. Why , according to Zimbardo, is killing situationally specific ?

 

Everything my teacher should know about Zimbardo ...

 

Leave your questions , interesting links etc ...

 

- Philip Zimbardo is an emeritus professor of psychology at Stanford University. He has been working as a lecturer at Stanford University since 1968. Before 1968 he has worked at Yale, New York and Columbia University.

- He was born in Bronx, a quarter with problem of violence - it's why he became interested in psychology of evil.

- His scientific interests includes also: human attitudes, social influence, persuasion, political psychology and psychology of terrorism.

- Zimbardo is the author of about 50 books. His famous book "The Psychology of Life" is known in the world. He is also the author of an other known book: "Shyness" - Zimbardo founded the "Shyness Treatment Clinic"

- Zimbardo's experiment on human behavior in a simulated prison is one of the most famous experimant in social psychology. This experiment, called also "Stanford prison experiment" has demonstrated the influence of situational factors on individual dispositions, personality and behavior of participants of the study - student that acted roles of guards and prisoners.

 

- Zimbardo had just written a new book "The Lucifer Effect:  Understand How Good People Turn Evil"

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THIS BOOK AND ON WORK OF PROFESSOR ZIMBARDO CAN BE FOUND AT www.lucifereffect.com (a very interesting web site!)

 

- in 2007 polish magazine "Charaktery" edited a special issue WITH THE FILM "QUIET RAGE" ( in polish) on CD on the Stanford Experiment (available ??on: http://merlin.pl/Charaktery-1-2007-Wydanie-Specjalne/browse/product/1,499359.html;jsessionid=6F4DFFFA96E5EE01DAC114498C2632AB.LB1