Conformity to social roles - Zimbardo

Question 1

Zimbardo - overview

Answer 1

• Stanford prison experiment
• 21 male student volunteers
• randomly assigned to either be a guard or a prisoner
• encouraged to conform to social roles

Question 2

Zimbardo - procedure

Answer 2

• guards were given uniforms - prisoners were arrested from their home
• guards were enthusiastic and punished prisoners
• day 2 - prisoners began to rebel - guards humiliated them - prisoners became depressed + anxious
• 1 prisoner was released due to psychological problems
• day 4 - 2 more prisoners released
• day 6 - study ended
• was supposed to last 14 days
• conclusion = social roles have a strong impact on behaviour - guards became brutal and prisoners became submissive

Question 3

Zimbardo - evaluation - strength

Answer 3

• Zimbardo had high control over variables
• e.g selection of p’s - emotionally stable p’s chosen and randomly assigned to role
• degree of control increased the internal validity of the study

Question 4

Zimbardo - evaluation - limitation

Answer 4

• Lack of realism
• psychologists argued the p’s were play-acting rather than conforming to a role
• p’s performances were based on stereotypes of how guards and prisoners are supposed to act
• suggests findings from SPE tells us little about conformity to social roles in actual prisons