One aspect of the prison experiment that I think contributed to the extreme role-playing that occurred was the use of uniforms. The prison guards were given a special uniform that made them feel as if they truly had authority over the prisoners. What also contributed to this false persona was the fact that the “prisoners” had to wear chains on their legs and were given a set of numbers to refer to themselves as, further perpetuating these fake roles. I think these uniforms for each respective party significantly contributed to the events that took place. They no longer were just average people participating, they truly were prisoners and prison guards. In a way, this was absolutely genius. If the experimenters were just dressed in street clothes, I highly doubt the experimenters would have embraced their roles to the extent they did. The uniforms served as a sort of double-edged sword by enhancing the experiment, but revealing some of the darker side of humanity.
Another important aspect of the experiment for me was how the prisoners were under the impression that they would not be able to leave the experiment at any time. Although Zimbardo claimed that he never specifically told prisoner #8612 that he couldn’t leave, when he did ask to leave Zimbardo instead of letting him walk away made a deal with him that would turn him into a snitch which seemed to give him the impression that leaving wouldn’t be so simple. When #8612 returned and told the other prisoners that they couldn’t leave it definitely heightened the seriousness and reality of the situation. Perhaps they didn’t believe the disgruntled prisoner, but his actions definitely had an effect on the rest of the prisoners and the prison guards who’s authority was now given more validation. When #8612 asked to leave, Zimbardo should’ve let him leave immediately no questions asked, instead he pleaded for him to stay and potentially had a serious impact on the actions of those involved.
-Matthew Epstein