Conformity to social roles

Question 1

Social roles

Answer 1

Social roles are the part people play as members of a social group (e.g. student, teacher, policeman etc). There is considerable pressure to conform to the expectations of a social role. Conforming to a social role is called identification.

Question 2

PARTICIPANTS Zimbardo

Answer 2

24 American male undergraduate students

Question 3

AIM Zimbardo

Answer 3

how readily people would conform to the social roles in simulated environment

Question 4

PROCEDURE Zimbardo

Answer 4

1) basement of Stanford uni converted into a mock prison
2) Participants were randomly assigned to either the role of prisoner or guard
4) Guards = uniform, whistles, handcuffs and dark glasses, to make eye contact with prisoners impossible
5) guards worked shifts of eight hours
6) Zimbardo observed the behaviour of the prisoners and guards
7) prisoners blindfolded, strip-searched issued a number and uniform

Question 5

FINDINGS Zimbardo

Answer 5

• identification occurred quickly a both played roles
• guards began to harass and tournament prisoners
• prisoners only talked about prison issues and snitched to please guards (evidence prisoners believed prison was real and not demand characteristics)
• roles become increasingly internalised

Question 6

STRENGTHS Zimbardo

Answer 6

1) harmful treatment of ppts led to formal recognition of ethical guidelines (studies must gain ethical approval)
2) DEBRIEFING - ppts were fully debriefed, considered BPS ethical guidelines
3) REAL LIFE APPLICATION - changed the way prisons are run (constant surveillance from a central monitoring system)
4) internal validity

Question 7

WEAKNESSES Zimbardo

Answer 7

LACKS ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY

1) demand characteristics - please the experimenter
2) simply acted according to the expectations associated with their roles
3) qualitative data - guard acted like a fil called cool hand luke reducing validity

LACKS POPULAtion VALIDITY

1) cant be generalized to females and other cultures
2) consisted of only American male students
3. collectivist culture = china, and japan are more conformative to social roles

LACK OF INFORMED CONSENT:
- ppts didn’t know what was to happen and weren’t informed so breaches ethical guidelines
PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM:
- ppts were not protected from anxiety, emotional distress, and embarrassment e.g. one prisoner had
to be released due to excess distress and uncontrollable screaming and crying

Question 8

CONCLUSION Zimbardo

Answer 8

stimulation revealed that the power of the situation can influence peoples behaviour, guards and prisoners conformed to their roles within the prison

Question 9

GUARDS

Answer 9

1/3 guards behaved in a brutal manner (keen on applying rules fairly)

• rest actively tried to support and help prisoners sympathising with them (offering cigarettes)
• differences in behaviour indicates they were able to exercise right and wrong choices despite the pressure to conform to a role