Conformity to Social Roles: Zimbardo's research. Flashcards
What was the set up for Zimbardo’s Study?
What kind of prison was it?
Where was it done? And which Uni?
What kind of ppts were selected?
Which ppts and how were the pple assigned roles?
-He set up a mock prison in basement in Stanford Uni. They selected the most ‘emotionally stable’ volunteers. Students were randomly assigned roles of guards and prisioners.
What was the procedure of Zimbardo?
What first happened to the prisoners?
What happened when they got delivered to the prison?
What were the social roles of the guards and prisoners?
Who arrived first at the prison?
How many shifts did they work and what did they do after?
How the prisoners were called? What did they NOT use?
- ‘Prisioners’ were arrested at their homes by local police, delivered to the prison, blindfolded, strip-searched, deloused, and issued a number and uniform.
- Social roles of guards and prisioners were divided. deloused and issued a number and uniform. Guards arrived first, set up the prison and decided the rules. They worked shifts 3 at a time and went home in between. Only numbers were used never the prisoners names.
GUARDS What did they wear? What were they told? What could they decide? (This is part of Zimbardo's procedure)
- Wore: own uniform, complete with wooden club, handcuffs, keys and mirror shades.
- Told: they had complete power over prisoners.
- For instance they could decide when the prisoners could go to toilet.
Findings of Zimbardo’s Research?
What behaviour was first seen in prisoners what they felt towards the guards?
When did study stop? How long was it meant to last?
How many days was it until the prisoners rebelled against the guards? Why did they do it?
What prisoners did when rebelling? Include descriptions of their uniform, how they said it and what they said?
How did the guards retaliate?
What emotions were seen in the prisoners after the rebell?
What happened to the 1st prisoner who had to leave the study? When did he leave?
How many were released after the 1st one had been released and what day they were released?
What did the 1 prisoner go on a strike for? What did the guards do to him? Where did they put him?
What happened to the guards behaviour at the end? How did they feel?
Prisoners quickly became passive and negative in their attitudes while the guards became more active.
The study was stopped after 6days instead of the intended 14days.
Within 2 days prisoners rebelled against harsh treatment by guards. They ripped their uniforms, shouted, swore. Guards retaliated with fire estinguishers.
After rebellion was put down prisoners became depressed, subduded (strength).
1 prisoner released on first day had psychological disturbance, 2 more released on 4th day.
1 Prisoner - hunger strike, gurads force-feed him, was punished was put in the ‘hole’.
Guards behaviour became more burtal, aggressive, one THIRD OF THEM even enjoyed power they had over the prisoners.
What did the guards highlight about social roles?
What they highlighted?
What they created? To enforce what?
What they even did?
(part of Findings of Zimbardo’s Research)
They highlighted differences in social roles by creating opportunities to enforce rules, punish even the smallest misdemeanour.
What did the guards do when the Prisoners were rebelling?
part of Findings of Zimbardo’s Research
Guards employes ‘divide-and-rule’ tactics and harrased the prisoners constantly, remiding them they were monitored all the time. Eg, headcounts some in middle of night and standing in line and call out prisoner numbers.
Conclusion of Zimbardo’s study?
Name the 3 ppts and what they did to their roles? Within the prison.
Was it hard/easy for the…?
What volunteers performed and how did they behave?
Guards, prisoners, researchers all conformed to their roles within the prison. They were easily taken on by ppts.
Volunteers also performed functions as they were behaving like they were in a prison rather than a study.
Give 1 Evaluation point for Zimbardo’s research?
CONTROL?
- They had control over the variables. Only the most ‘emotionally stable’ individuals were chosen and randomly assigned roles of guards and prisoner. The behaviour of the ppts were due to the pressure of the situation (when the prisoners rebelles for harsh treatments of the guard).
- Control increases internal validity so we are more confident in the results about influence of roles on behaviour.
Give 2nd Evaluation point for Zimbardo’s research?
Ethics
- Zimbardo’s experiment has been heavily criticised for breaking many ethical guidelines, in particular, protection from harm.
- Five of the prisoners left the experiment early because of their adverse reactions to the physical and mental torment. Furthermore, some of the guards reported feelings of anxiety and guilt, as a result of their actions during the prison.
- Although Zimbardo followed the ethical guidelines of Stanford University and debriefed his participants afterwards, he acknowledged that the study should have been stopped earlier.
3rd Evaluation point for Zimbardo’s research?
Individual differences and Dispositional influences
Furthermore, individual differences and personality also determine the extent to which a person conforms to social roles. In Zimbardo’s original experiment the behaviour of the guards varied dramatically, from extremely sadistic behaviour to a few good guards who helped the prisoners. This suggests that situational factors are not the only cause of conformity to social roles and dispositional factors also play a role.
Define Social roles?
Parts people play as members of various social groups. E.g. Parent or child. This is accompanied by expectations we and others have of what is appropriate behavior in each role eg caring or obedient.
What percentage of the prisoner’s conversation whilst in the prison was about the prison itself?
90%
Which of these ethical guidelines is broken least by the study?
Deception
