Conformity to social roles

Question 1

What was Zimbardo’s aim?

Answer 1

To investigate the reasons why prison guards behave so brutally

Question 2

What was the Stanford prison experiment (SPE)?

Answer 2

• Zimbardo’s ‘mock prison’
• 24 male students volunteered
• 12 students assigned role of prisoner, 12 assigned prison guard role
• Uniforms worn to enforce roles
• Zimbardo= superintendent

Question 3

What is social identity theory (SIT)?

Answer 3

Categorises people into ingroup or outgroup

Question 4

What were the instructions given in the SPE?

Answer 4

• Prisoners encouraged to conform to their role- apply for parole, uniforms
• Guards encouraged to conform with their role- uniform, weapon

Question 5

What were the Zimbardo’s main findings?

Answer 5

• Guards conformed and took up roles
• 2 days in, prisoners rebelled
• One prisoner went on hunger strike
• Study ended early- on 6th day, not 14th day

Question 6

What were the conclusions drawn from the SPE?

Answer 6

• Social roles have a strong influence on behaviour
• Report a situational explanation to conformity

Question 7

What are the strengths of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 7

• Control over variables
• Natural behaviour (McDermott)

Question 8

What are the limitations of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 8

• Lack of realism (Banuazizi and Movahedi)
• Exaggerates power of roles
• Alternative explanation

Question 9

STRENGTH-
I- Control over variables

Answer 9

D- Emotionally-stable individuals were chosen and randomly assigned to role of guard or prisoner (rules out individual differences). If they behaved differently, but were in roles due to chance, the behaviour must have been due to the role
E- Increase internal validity

Question 10

LIMITATION-
I- Lack of realism

Answer 10

D- Banuazizi and Movahedi argue participants were play-acting not conforming to their role. Performances were based on stereotypes (Cool hand Luke). Explains rioting.
E- Suggests findings tell us little about real world conformity

Question 11

STRENGTH-
I- Natural behaviour

Answer 11

D- McDermott argues participants behaved as if the prison was real. 90% of conversations were about prison life. One prisoner even believed the prison was real, run by psychologists
E- Suggests SPE replicated social roles of prisoners and guards in a real prison- high internal validity

Question 12

LIMITATION-
I- Exaggerates power of roles

Answer 12

D- 1/3 of guards behaved brutally. 1/3 tried to apply rules fairly. 1/3 tried to help and support prisoners. Most guards were able to resist situational pressures to conform
E- Suggests Zimbardo overstate his view that participants were conforming, and minimised the influence of dispositional factors

Question 13

LIMITATION-
I- Alternative explanation

Answer 13

D- Reicher and Haslam suggest Zimbardo’s explanation does not account for behaviour of most guards. Social identity theory (SIT) suggests confomity was due to identification to social roles
E- SIT is a better explanation- we can resist pressures to conform as long as we don’t identify with the role