conformity to social roles - zimbardo Flashcards
what was the aim of Zimbardo’s study?
to see whether people would conform to the social role of a prison guard or a prisoner, when placed in a mock prison environment
- and to test the dispositional explanation of conformity
outline the procedure of Zimbardo’s research
- 24 male american students
- stanford university basement converted into a mock prison
- randomly assigned to prisoners or guards (12 of each)
- arrested by local police, stripped, de-loused, chained, given uniform and numbers (de-humanised)
- guards given uniform (handcuffs, sunglasses)
- guards controlled behaviour (made up rules)
outline the findings of Zimbardo’s research
- guards and prisoners settled into social roles quickly
- after a prisoner ‘rebellion’ guards began to harass and torment prisoners (they later reported to have enjoyed it)
- after 36 hours, 1 prisoner was released due to fits of crying and rage
- 3 more prisoners developed similar symptoms
- study was stopped after 6 days (scheduled for 14), due to increased violence
- both groups were surprised at their uncharacteristic behaviours
what were the conclusions of Zimbardo’s research - regarding conformity?
- individuals conform readily to social roles, even when they override our own moral beliefs
- social roles demonstrated were obtained from media sources (films) and learnt sources of power (teacher/parent)
- the study rejects the dispositional explanation for conformity, and accepts the situational explanation
what university basement was converted into a mock prison?
Stanford uni
what was the sample of ppt’s that Zimbardo used?
24 male american students
how many guards and prisoners were used in the study?
- 12 guards
- 12 prisoners
what sampling method was used?
random allocation
which explanation of conformity does the study support?
situational explanations for conformity
evaluation: replication/ cultural differences + ELAB pop val
ID: Zimbardo’s research into social roles has a cultural difference in prison guard perception
Q: this was found by Reicher and Haslam, who replicated the study in the UK
EX: for example, they found that the ppt’s did not conform to social roles; guars refused to impose their authority and prisoners took control of the prison.
AN: therefore, these findings suggest that conformity to social roles may not be automatic and the research can only be understood in the social and cultural context that it takes place in. this reduces the generalisability of the research when applying it to different cultures.
ELAB: furthermore, the sample used lacks population validity
EX: the sample only consisted of American male students and so the findings cannot be generalised to other genders and cultures. for example, collectivist cultures, such as
China or Japan, may be more conformist to their prescribed social
roles because such cultures value the needs of the group over the
needs of the individual
evaluation: ignores the role of disposition/ individual diff
ID: a weakness of Zimbardo’s research is that it ignores the role of disposition
Q: the findings show an over-emphasis on the situation
EX: for example, Zimbardo believed that the guards sadistic behaviour was a direct consequence of them embracing their role, which stopped them from realising their wrongdoings. however, 2/3 of the guards were not brutal and some even helped the prisoners. the findings ignore that guards chose how to behave, conformity to social roles wasn’t automatic
AN: therefore, this shows people have free will over the right or wrong choices, despite situational pressure, reducing the internal validity of the study
evaluation: real-world applications
ID: however, a strength of Zimbardo’s research is that is has real-world applications
Q: similar findings were shown in Abu Graib military prison in Iraq
EX: for example, military staff committed crimes such as rape, sexual + physical abuse, torture and murder towards prisoners.
AN: therefore, this suggests that situational factors and an opportunity to misuse power, associated with conforming to certain social roles can lead to behaving in a tyrannical way. supporting the aim of the experiment, that when you put someone in a situation they conform to their role
