Conformity To Social Roles Evaluation Flashcards
What is the argument that conformity to social roles isn’t automatic? (Contradicting research to Zimbardo)
Haslam and Reicher (2012) challenged Zimbardo’s belief that the guards’ drift into sadistic behaviour was an automatic consequence of them embracing their role
- they pointed out that there were a few ‘good guards’ who didn’t degrade the prisoners, suggesting the guards actually chose how to behave
What was the problem of demand characteristics in the SPE?
Banuazizi and Movahedi (1975) argued that the behaviour of participants in the SPE was more of a consequence of demand characteristics than conformity to roles.
- suggests that the behaviour of Zimbardo’s guards and prisoners wasn’t due to their response to a ‘compelling prisoner environment’, but rather it was a response to the demand characteristics in the experimental situation itself
What did Banuazizi and Movahedi (1975) do to show the problem of demand characteristics in the SPE?
. Presented details of the SPE to a large sample of students who had never heard of the study
Findings: the majority correctly guessed the purpose was to show that ordinary people would act their social roles of guards or prisoners, and they predicted the guards would act in a hostile way.
How were the ethical issues of the SPE a problem?
How was it clear that demand characteristics played a role in the SPE?
The roles weren’t initially taken seriously and roles were acted out as a joke
- it seems they knew the aim of the study but the extreme lengths that they eventually conformed to their roles is interesting
What are the ethical implications (strength) of SPE?
. Prison reforms carried out in USA
Who proposed social identity theory?
Tajfel and Turner (1979)
What does social identity theory investigate?
The cognitive processes and social conditions underlying inter group behaviours, especially those related to prejudice, bias and discrimination
How does social identity theory contradict findings of SPE?
Reicher and Haslam replicated SPE in the BBC study
- found opposite of SPE
- suggests that prisoners shared a social identity as a group and wouldn’t accept their prisoner roles
What did the BBC study find?
The prisoners were the ones who adopted more of a cohesive group behaviour which the guards didn’t
- prisoners overthrew the guards and harassed them
It may not be about conforming to social roles but more a ‘group mentality’ that can be explained through social identity theory
