Conformity To Social Roles- ZIMBARDO

Question 1

Zimbardos procedure

Answer 1

Mock prison in Stanford uni basement

Ps were randomly assigned role of guard or prisoner

Question 2

Zimbardos findings

Answer 2

The guards were quick to take up their roles with enthusiasm

• guards behaviour soon proved a threat to prisoners emotional and physical health
• highly abusive to prisoners
• unreasonably dominant

Question 3

Zimbardos conclusions

Answer 3

The situation had great affect on people’s behaviour, even zimbardos.

Social roles and uniform affect levels of conformity

Question 4

Evaluation- control

Answer 4

A strength is that due to it being a lab study

• researchers had high control of variables
• e.g they picked emotionally stable p’s to rule out affect of individual differences

This increases the internal validity of the findings

Question 5

Evaluation- lack of realism

Answer 5

Banuzizi and mohavedi (1975)

• argued p’s were just play acting rather than genuinely conforming to a roles
• the performances were based on how guards and prisoners should act.

HOWEVER. Qualitative data proved that 90% of prisoners convos were about prison life

Question 6

Evaluation- role of dispositional influences

Answer 6

Fromm (1973) accuser zimbardos of exaggerating the power of the situation to influence behaviour

Only 1/3 of guards behaved in a brutal manner.
Another 1/3 were applying the rules fairly

Suggests that zimbardos conclusion may be overstated