External and internal validity, mundane realism, and reliability are primary research constructs that dictate the expected outcomes of scientific experiments and the capacity to apply results in real-life situations. Renowned researches, such as the "Stanford Prison Experiment," evince the research components identified above through the actions of study participants, observers' reports, and similar scenarios in the real world of a conducted experiment. The extensive analyses of the "Stanford Prison Experiment" components show its reliability, validity, and mundane realism.
Background Information: Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) was scientific psychological research conducted by Philip Zimbardo in the United States in August 1971. The study comprised 24 participants who were divided into two groups: mock correctional officers and pretended prisoners. According to Zimbardo, the primary aim of SPE was to test the extent to which people embody roles and perceived power symbols in scenarios of extreme power imbalance common in the prison environment. The SPE was conducted for six days and abandoned mid-way because of participants' excessive violence and aggression.
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Reliability
Reliability in research is the ability of an experiment to produce anticipated outcomes set by the researcher ( Jhangiani et al., 2019) . Zimbardo had anticipated that when placed in environments where individuals could wield power while remaining anonymous, correctional officers would embody the extremes of power-wielding primarily when uncontrolled. According to reports, the participants' assigned guard roles played their roles excellently based on the harsh authoritarian mechanisms they used on prisoners. For instance, guards compelled prisoners to remain in solitary dark closets, sleep on concrete floors, and regular beating as a form of punishment ( McLeod, 2020) . In response, the prisoners, even when aware they were research participants, responded by being docile, rebelling, and fighting guards, just as Zimbardo had anticipated. Therefore, the experiment was highly reliable because it provided the expected outcomes of Philip Zimbardo.
External Validity
The external validity of any experiment is the level at which it can be applied to other events, groups, or situations ( Jhangiani et al., 2019) . The Stanford Prison Experiment's external validity is high because it can be applied to other circumstances, such as homes where parents perceive their roles as enforcing authority on children. Alternatively, leaders in toxic working environments tend to view themselves as demi-gods and mistreat junior employees, primarily when they do not have a higher authority to report to. In some countries, leaders exercise authoritarian and dictatorial leadership because they feel citizens are voiceless, just like the prisoners in Zimbardo's experiment.
Internal Validity
Internal validity in scientific experiments is the extent to which its outcomes remain uninfluenced by external factors other than the research constructs ( Jhangiani et al., 2019) . The Stanford Prison Experiment's internal validity was high because the study participants reacted based on the conditions of the research. The guards were violent because the study had created a favorable environment for them to wield excessive power while the prisoners shifted from acquiescence to rebelliousness because of the guards' actions McLeod, S. (2020) . The SPE's results were not propelled by any external factors and are have high internal validity.
Mundane Realism
Mundane realism in research is the extent to which an experiment is similar to real-life situations ( Jhangiani et al., 2019) . Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment exposed the injustices that prisoners undergo in real-life prisons in the United States. Correctional officers often have to resolve crude punitive measures to curb rebellion in prisoners and prevent internal revolts that may escape dangerous criminals. For instance, all real-life prisoners have solitary cells where prisoners are confined for extended periods if they become unruly. Overall, the Stanford Prison Experiment has high levels of mundane realism, reliability, and validity.
References
Jhangiani, R. S., Chiang, I. A., Cuttler, C., & Leighton, D. C. (2019). Research Methods in Psychology (4th ed.). Pressbooks. https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/part/experimental-research/
McLeod, S. (2020). The Stanford Prison Experiment . Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/zimbardo.html
