conformity: zimbardo's research

Question 1

where did the experiment take place?

Answer 1

basement of psychology department at Stanford University

Question 2

name 3 things about Zimbardo’s sample

Answer 2

all male (androcentric)
all American (ethnocentric)
all students

Question 3

how were students assigned to roles?

Answer 3

randomly assigned

Question 4

true or false?
this is a controlled observation, NOT an experiment

Answer 4

true

Question 5

what did Zimbardo do to heighten the realism?

Answer 5

‘prisoners’ were arrested in their own homes + delivered to the prison in police cars
they were blindfolded, strip-searched, deloused, issued a uniform + number

Question 6

name 3 elements of the guards’ uniforms

Answer 6

wooden club
handcuffs
keys
mirror shades

Question 7

what did the uniforms create a loss of?

Answer 7

identity/individuality - deindividuation

Question 8

on what day was the study stopped?

Answer 8

6 of 14

Question 9

why was the study stopped?

Answer 9

guards’ behaviour became a threat to prisoners’ physical + psychological health

Question 10

why did the guards’ behaviour become more brutal + aggressive?

Answer 10

they seemed to identify more with their role + conform to their social roles of stereotypically ‘sadistic’ police guards

Question 11

what did guards do to remind prisoners that were constantly being watched?

Answer 11

harassed them constantly
e.g. deciding when they could go to the toilet, calling out numbers in the middle of the night

Question 12

what did prisoners do to rebel?

Answer 12

ripped uniforms + swore at the guards

Question 13

why was one prisoner released on the first day?

Answer 13

he showed signs of psychological disturbance

Question 14

how did only ONE prisoner rebel?

Answer 14

he went on hunger strike
guards attempted to force-feed him+ then punished him by putting him in ‘the hole’ (tiny dark closet)

Question 15

state one conclusion of the study

Answer 15

the power of a situation can significantly influence people’s behaviour
guards, prisoners + researchers all conformed to their roles

Question 16

name one strength of this study

Answer 16

high control

Question 17

what does high control increase?

Answer 17

increases internal validity, therefore conclusions are likely to be more accurate

Question 18

how can individual personality differences be ruled out as an explanation for results?

Answer 18

participants were randomly assigned to role of guard/prisoner
therefore behaviour must be due to pressures of the situation, not personality

Question 19

name 2 limitations of this study

Answer 19

lack of research support
ethical issues
role of dispositional influences
lack of realism

Question 20

why does the study have a lack of realism?

Answer 20

performances were based on stereotypes of how prsoners + guards are supposed to behave

some researchers argue that participants were merely play-acting rather than genuinely conforming

Question 21

what is a counterpoint for ‘lack of realism’?

Answer 21

quantitative data showed that 90% of prisoner conversations were about prison life

this suggests that situation seemed real to participants , therefore h=there is higher internal validity

Question 22

who replicated this study?

Answer 22

Reicher + Haslam at the BBC

Question 23

what was different about the ‘BBC Prison Study’ compared to the original?

Answer 23

prisoners took control rather than the guards because the guards failed to develop a shared social identity, unlike the prisoners

Question 24

name 2 ethical issues with this study

Answer 24

protection from psychological harm - prisoners were abused by guards; strip-searched; arrested in homes in front of the neighbours etc.

Zimbardo’s dual roles - he was head researcher but also chief superintendent of the ‘prison’
one prisoner who wanted to leave the study spoke to Zimbardo as a prison guard, not a moral researcher

Question 25

how did Zimbardo’s dual roles affect the study?

Answer 25

he was head researcher but also chief superintendent of the ‘prison’.
one prisoner who wanted to leave the study spoke to Zimbardo as a prison guard, not a moral researcher

Question 26

name one thing that supports the role of dispositional influences

Answer 26

differences in guards’ behaviour indicated that they were able to make right/wrong choices, despite situational pressures to confom

e.g. 1/3 of guards were brutal; 1/3 of guards applied rules fairly; 1/3 of guards sympathised with prisoners + wanted to help them