Conformity to Social Roles: Zimbardo's Research

Question 1

Who was the psychologist behind the Stanford prison experiment?

Answer 1

Phillip Zimbardo

Question 2

What was happening in prisons across America that led to Zimbardo’s research?

Answer 2

There were reports of brutally by guards in prisons across America in the late 1960s

Question 3

What question was Philip Zimbardo looking to answer by conducting his experiment?

Answer 3

Do prison guards behave brutally because they have sadistic personalities, or is the situation that creates such behaviour?

Question 4

What was the procedure used in Zimbardo’s experiment?

Answer 4

Zimbardo set up a mock prison and advertised for students willing to volunteer. Students who were deemed “emotionally stable” after extensive psychological testing were selected. The roles of guard pr prisoner were randomly assigned amongst participants. Zimbardo wanted to heighten the realism so had “prisoners” arrested from home, blindfolded, strip searched, deloused etc. Social roles were strictly divided with “prisoners” having heavy regulated routines and “guards” having complete power over “prisoners”

Question 5

What were the findings of Zimbardo’s experiment?

Answer 5

1. Guards took their roles with enthusiasm with increasingly threatening behaviour that became a danger to the “prisoners” psychological and physical health. This led to the stop of the study 6 days in instead of the full 14 days.
2. Prisoners began rebelling by swearing, shouting at guards, ripping uniforms which elicited retaliation from guards with fire extinguishers
3. Overall “guards” identified more and more with their roles. Behaviour became more and more aggressive, with some seeming to enjoy the power they had over “prisoners”

Question 5

What were the conclusions of Zimbardo’s experiment?

Answer 5

Zimbardo’s experiment revealed the power of the situation to influence people’s behaviour. Guards, prisoners and researcher all conformed to their roles within the prison. They were very easily taken on by the participants. Participants who volunteered found themselves behaving as if they were in a prison rather than in a psychological study.

Question 6

What is a strength of Zimbardo’s research into social roles? (controlled + random allocation)

Answer 6

Zimbardo’s initial setup of the experiment was well controlled. Zimbardo carefully selected his participants using psychological screening to ensure they were healthy, psychologically stable and had no criminal records. Additionally the roles of the guards and prisoners were randomly allocated. This amount of control supports the argument that the behaviours were due to the social roles and the prison environment rather than individual dispositions

Question 7

What is a strength of Zimbardo’s research into social roles? (insight into social roles)

Answer 7

Zimbardo’s insights into how social roles can influence behaviour ca help explain incidents of cruelty and abuse in institutional settings. For example, the guards in Abu Ghraib who performed highly abusive behaviours. Recognising the impact of situational factors on human behaviour has led to practical applications of increased training and oversight in military and law enforcement settings to prevent abuses

Question 8

What is a limitation of Zimbardo’s research into social roles? (replications + socials role + limited influence )

Answer 8

Reicher’s and Haslam’s replications of the stanford prison experiment challenged Zimbardo’s conclusions by demonstrating that participants do not inevitably conform to their assigned roles of guards or prisoners. Unlike Zimbardo’s study, where guards became increasingly cruels, it was found participants resisted behaviours that conflicted with their identities. This study’s findings and the fact only one third of guards in the original study demonstrated behaviour suggests social roles have a limited influence and individuals have agency and moral choice in their actions

Question 9

What is a limitation of ZImbardo’s research into social roles?

Answer 9

Zimbardo took on a dual role in the experiment. This involvement may have led to experimenter bias, Zimbardo’s presence may have influenced the participants’ behaviour to fit the expected outcomes of the study. Demand characteristics are likely to have occurred, with participants acting in ways they believed matched Zimbardo’s expectations. Evidence has found that guards were trained on how to be aggressive, which has casted doubt on the validity of the experiment