1 Social Influence- Conformity P2

Question 1

what study investigated conformity to social roles?

Answer 1

the 1971 Phillip Zimbardo study
-The Stanford Prison Experiment

Question 2

what year did the prison experiment occur?

Answer 2

1971

Question 3

what type of conformity did the Stanford prison experiment look at?

Answer 3

identification
-behaving in a way they think is expected of them

Question 4

what was the aim of the Stanford prison experiment

Answer 4

to investigate whether the brutality reported among guards in America prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards or had more to do with the prison environment
(dispositional or situational)

Question 5

what did Zimbardo predict about why people conform?

Answer 5

the situation made people act the way they do rather than their disposition (personality)
-they conform to social roles they are assigned to and change their behaviour to fit this

Question 6

procedures of the Stanford prison experiment

Answer 6

controlled participant observation simulating a prison in the basement of Stanford University
-participants knew they were being watched

Question 7

what sampling method was used for the Stanford prison experiment?

Answer 7

volunteer

Question 8

how were the ppts assinged to their roles?

Answer 8

random allocation
-rules out investigator bias
-could spread participant variables out

Question 9

what were ppts assessed for prior to starting the study?

Answer 9

they checked to see if they were psychologically fit and healthy to participate, and didn’t have any abnormalities
-controlled for ppt variables
-to ensure there were no natural predispositions

Question 10

what were the guards briefed about prior to the study?

Answer 10

‘to maintain law and order’
‘you can create a sense of fear in them and a notion that their life is totally controlled’
‘you can’t use physical violence’

Question 11

how did they try to make the experience as realistic as possible for the prisoners

Answer 11

-they were arrested outside of their home and did not know about it
-wore very white degrading outfits
-guards wore uniforms with reflecting glasses so they can’t see eyes
-prisoners had names replaced with numbers

Question 12

how did the guards conform to their roles?

Answer 12

-started getting angry and made prisoners do cruel activities to show their authority
-they kept escalating level of dominance and authority
-guard created his own role ‘John Wayne’
-insulted prisoners even if it went against their moral conscious

Question 13

how did the prisoners conform to their roles?

Answer 13

-felt hopeless and out of control
-hunger strikes and rebellions
-eventually they accepted their submissive role, refusing to challenge the authority guard figures

Question 14

name 5 of the relevant details from the BPS ethical guidelines

Answer 14

harm to participants
informed consent
deception
right to withdraw
debrief

Question 15

what does Can Do Can’t Do With Participants stand for?

Answer 15

Consent
Deception
Confidentiality
Debrief
Withdrawal
Psychological/ Physical harm

Question 16

informed consent in the Stanford prison experiment

Answer 16

+ ppts were told the aim of the study and gained informed consent beforehand
- were not told about being arrested at the start from their homes
- were not explictly told it was a study about conforming to social roles

Question 17

debrief in the Stanford prison experiment

Answer 17

+ they were debriefed after the 6 days when the study ended
-ended the study after 6 days as the conditions were unaccpetable

Question 18

right to withdraw in the Stanford prison experiment

Answer 18

+ they were all given the right to withdraw
- they felt pressured to stay and one prisoner spread fake information that they could not leave

Question 19

harm in the Stanford prison experiment

Answer 19

+ there was no physical harm, guards were told they cannot harm the prisoners- symbolic sticks
- ‘John Wayne’ guard felt guilty and disgust about how he behaved towards prisoners
- verbal abuse and insults said to the prisoners
-prisoners accepted their submissive roles as they felt hopeless and out of control

Question 20

deception in the Stanford prison experiment

Answer 20

+ they knew the aim
+ knew it was a prison stimulation study
+ knew all procedures and agreed to it
- were not told about being arrested form their homes

Question 21

were participants given a debrief at the end?

Answer 21

yes
-they came together at the end to reflect on what had happened
-Zimbardo explained the study results and findings
-but conditions were unacceptable and extremely and was unethical in the moment- guidelines were followed

Question 22

what was Reicher and Haslam (2006) study?

Answer 22

they conducted a replication of zimbardo’s study
-funded by the BBC
-their findings were inconsistent as the prisoners dominated over the guards

Question 23

what does Reicher and Haslam (2006) study tell us about the reliability of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 23

it is low in reliability
-the guards failed to identify with their roles, they were reluctant to impose their authority, eventually becoming overcome by the prisoners.

Question 24

was Zimbardo’s findings generalisable?

Answer 24

no, the sample was male students from Stanford University (androcentric)
-low population validity
-not representative of the wider population

Question 25

was Zimbardo’s findings reliable?

Answer 25

no, not reliable
-Reicher and Haslam found his research was inconsistent
-guards did not conform to social roles
-the method could not be repeated, even using a similar design and procedures

Question 26

are there any practical applications of Zimbardo’s research?

Answer 26

-situational variables cause these behaviours
-his findings have been highly useful in helping us to understand how such behaviour can occur and therefore what steps can be taken to prevent it

Question 27

did Zimbardo’s research have internal validity?

Answer 27

yes. random allocation was used to be assigned roles, and ppts were assessed previously for any psychological abnormalities
-control for participant variables
-clear cause and effect

Question 28

but, how could Zimbardo’s research lack internal validity?

Answer 28

Zimbardo took on the superintendent role in the study
-potential investigator bias
-his research may actually tell us very little about the true extent to which participants conformed to social roles