Conformity To Social Roles- Zimbardo Flashcards
What was the procedure of the prison experiment
At stand fried university in the basement of psychology department
Got volunteers and selected those deemed as emotionally stable
Students were randomly assigned roles
Prisoners were arrested at their homes
They were blindfolded strip searched and issued a uniform and number
What were the social roles of the prisoners and gaurds
Prisoners had daily heavily regulated routines
They had to follow 16 rules enforced by the guards who worked in shifts
Gaurds has own uniform with wooden club and handcuffs and mirror shades
They were told they had complete power over the prisoners
What were the findings of the standford prison experiment
Study was stopped after 6 days instead of 14 due to gaurds behaviour becoming a threat to the prisoners health
In 2 days the prisoners rebelled and retilated with fire extinguishers
Gaurds harasses the prisoners and highlighted the differences in social roles
What happened after the prisoners rebellion was put down
They became subdued depressed and anxious
A prosoner was released on the first day and two more on the 4th day
One prisoner went on hunger strike and gaurds force fed him
What are the conclusions of the Stanford prison experiment
Everyone comforted to their roles
What is a strength of zimbardos study
Had high control over variables
They ruled out individual personality differences by selecting emotionally stable individuals and randomly assigning them
High internal validity
Why is there lack of realism in the study
Participants merely play acted rather than genuinely confirming
Based on stereotypes on how they’re supposed to behave
How did zimabardo point out that the situation was very real to participants
Through quantitative date 90% of prisoners conversations were about the prison life
Why might zimabrdos conclusion be overstated
He minimised the role of personality factors (dispostitional influnces)
Only a minority of gaurds behaved in a brutal manner and some applied rules fairly and some helped the prisoners
Why is there ethical issues with zimabrdos research
Zimabrdos has dual roles
Acting as the superintendent and researcher
