conforming to social roles

Question 1

What are social roles?

Answer 1

The parts people play as members of various social groups

Question 2

What is Zimbardo’s research?

Answer 2

The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE)
21 US male student volunteers
Randomly assigned role of prisoner or guard
Prisoner: arrested at home, taken to mock prison, given uniform and ID no.
Guard: given uniforms, clubs, whistles, wore reflective sunglasses
Zimbardo took role of prison superintendent (warden)
Intended to run to 2 weeks, terminated after 6 days
PPs conformed quickly to their social roles due to situational factors

Question 3

Zimbardo Evaluation Points

Answer 3

Culture bias: findings can’t be applied to other cultures
Gender bias: findings can’t be applied to females
Dual role: Zimbardo’s role of researcher and prison warden - questions validity of findings
Unethical: physical and mental torment