Conformity To Social Roles: Zimbardo

Question 1

Briefly describe Zimbardo procedure

Answer 1

Mock prison in Stanford university basement
PPS randomly assigned guard or prisoner. (Only emotionally stable PPS selected)
PPS given uniforms and guards had weapons
16 rules that prisoners had to follow, enforced by guards

Question 2

Describe Zimbardo’s findings

Answer 2

Study stopped after 6 days not the intended 14
Prisoners increasingly withdrawn and guards more brutal
Psychological and physiological harm

Question 3

What conclusions did Zimbardo make?

Answer 3

Guards, prisoners and other prison workers all conformed to roles in the prison

Question 4

Explain one strength of zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 4

Good control over variables, eg. Only emotionally stable PPS selected
Increases internal validity, therefore valid evidence of conformity to social roles

Question 5

Why was Zimbardo’s study criticised? (AO3)

Answer 5

Lack of realism as PPS accused of merely play acting rather than genuine conformity. Conformity based on how prisoners and guards are suppose to behave.

However PPS felt like the prison was real so high internal validity

Question 6

What was the role of dispositional influences on Zimbardo’s study? (AO3)

Answer 6

He was accused of exaggerated his findings.
Eg. Only one third of the guards were brutal and the rest supported the prisoners
This suggests zimbardo’s conclusion may be overstated