conformity to social roles

Question 1

what is a social role

Answer 1

a socially defined pattern of behaviour that is expected of a person who occupies a certain social position or belongs to a particuliar social category

Question 2

give example of identifiable social roles

Answer 2

doctor, teacher, police officer, politician, student, artist, prisoner, correctional officer

Question 3

what is the identification type of conformity

Answer 3

where membership of a group is valued. we adopt the behaviours of the group publicly to feel part of the group because we value them and want to belong to the group

Question 4

what do social roles provide

Answer 4

a social identity and individuals sense of who they are.

Question 5

what do individuals feel when they conform to their social roles

Answer 5

feel a stronger connection to the group

Question 6

what was phillip zimbardo concerned about

Answer 6

the intense aggression within the US prison system

Question 7

what did zimbardo believe the real reason for aggression was

Answer 7

situational factors, the environment of the prison itself and conformity to social roles expected of the prison environment rather than dispositional factors

Question 8

what did zimbardo do in order to study conformity

Answer 8

he created a mock prison in the basement of Stanford Uni

Question 9

what was Zimbardo’s aim of the prison setup

Answer 9

to understand the psychological impact of situational forces by observing how typically healthy individuals would conform to assigned social roles of guards (oppressive) and prisoners (submissive)

Question 10

who took part in Zimbardos study

Answer 10

it was an observational study of 24 male students from the US who volunteered to participate in a 7-14 day study, receiving $15 per day

Question 11

what was assessed before they could take part

Answer 11

psychological assessments to ensure they were mentally stable and healthy

Question 12

why were participants randomly assigned to the role of prisoner or guard

Answer 12

to reduce likelihood of participant variables

Question 13

what did the prisoners experience

Answer 13

unexpectedly arrested at home by real police officers, being booked, deloused and given a basic prison uniform with their assigned ID on it. 3 prisoners were placed in each small mock prison cell. they were given a list of rules to follow such as 3 meals a day, supervised toilet trips and limited visits from family

Question 14

what did the guards experience

Answer 14

they were given uniform, clubs and whistles and reflective sunglasses to establish authority and instructed to manage the prison without harming the prisoners. in teams of three, the guards worked 8hr shifts after which they were allowed to leave site and go home

Question 15

what did Zimbardo play the role of

Answer 15

he oversaw the experiment in the roles of the chief prison superintendent and lead investigator

Question 16

what were the findings of zimbardos experiment

Answer 16

pp quickly lost their personal identities and adapted to their assigned social roles.

Question 17

how did the prisoners initially attempt to resist

Answer 17

they barricaded themselves in their cells using their bedding to block the cell doors. but the guards crushed their rebelluion and the prisoners became passive

Question 18

what happened to the prisoners as the experiment progressed

Answer 18

pp showed significant distress to the point that a number of prisoners were released early after experiencing mental breakdowns

Question 19

what happened to the guards as the experiment progressed

Answer 19

guards became authoritative and empowered by their uniforms and anonymity provided by sunglasses and displayed sadistic aggression and domineering behaviour

Question 20

why was the study halted just after 6 days

Answer 20

due to the ethical concerns raised by the intense reactions

Question 21

what did zimbardo’s research suggest

Answer 21

situational factors rather than individual personality traits (dispositional factors) can drive behaviour as people who were considered normal and healthy before the experiment engaged in submissive behaviours as a result of their assigned social roles and the prison environment

Question 22

what was the initial setup like

Answer 22

the initial setup was well controlled. pp were carefully selected using psychological screening to ensure they were psychologically stable and without criminal records. roles of guards and prisoners were randomly allocated

Question 23

what did the high level of control do

Answer 23

help reduce pp variables and supports arguments that behaviours shown in SPE resulted from the social roles and prison environment rather than individual dispositions

Question 24

how have findings of this experiment been practically applied

Answer 24

to understand real life examples of institutional abuse

Question 25

what happened in the American Military prison of Abu Gharaib

Answer 25

the prison had an envt of few rules and little oversight. Iraqi detainees were tortured, sexually abused and even killed by American Army personell.

Question 26

how did the world find out about the abuse of the AMP of Abu Gharaib

Answer 26

photographs leaked of military personell posing for selfies next to the victims. zimbardo even appeared as an expert witness of a subsequent trial

Question 27

where are the findings of the SPE taught

Answer 27

in military and law enforcement settings in an attempt to reduce likelihood of further abusers

Question 28

what has recognising the impact of situational factors on human behaviour led to

Answer 28

practical applications of increased training and oversight in military and law enforcement settings to prevent abuse

Question 29

how did Reicher and Haslam go against Zimbardos conclusions

Answer 29

they demonstrated that pp dont inevitably conform to assigned roles of guards or prisoners - they acted more in line with their personalities and the guards willingly gave up their powerful positions

Question 30

how many guards actually showed sadistic aggression

Answer 30

1/3. other guards were generally passive

Question 31

what does the amount of guards that were actually oppressive suggest about social roles

Answer 31

they have a limited influence on behaviour. individuals have agency and moral choice in their actions

Question 32

what is a criticism of the fact that Zimbardo played the role of principal investigator and prison superintendant

Answer 32

may have led to experimenter bias, his presence may have influenced pp behaviour to fit expected outcomes of the study

Question 33

who should the superintendant have been

Answer 33

someone who didnt know the aims of the experiement,

Question 34

what else apart from experimenter bias may have occured and how

Answer 34

demand characteristics making pp more likely to act in ways they believed matched zimbardos expectations

Question 35

what have recent reviews of the SPE revealed about the guards

Answer 35

they were instructed to be aggressive so the observed behaviours and conclusions are likely to be invalid

Question 36

what are the ethical issues with this experiment

Answer 36

pp experienced significant psychological stress

Question 37

why are strict ethical guidelines absolutely necessary

Answer 37

Zimbardos decision to continue the experiment despite the signs of emotional breakdown and the extreme reactions of both guards and prioners demonstrates the need for strict ethical controls in psychological experiments especially those that may put pp in distressing situations