Key Research: Zimbardo - Study of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison

Question 1

What was the aim of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 1

Zimbardo wanted to see how people behave when they’re assigned to a role - specifically the role of a prisoner or a guard.

Question 2

What was the research method used in this study?

Answer 2

Laboratory experiment, designed to be as naturalistic as possible.

Question 3

Where did the study take place?

Answer 3

in a mock prison built in the basement of the Stanford University psychology building.

Question 4

How was the sample recruited?

Answer 4

-A newspaper advertisement was placed asking for male volunteers to take part in a study of ‘prison life’ for $15 a day.

Question 5

How many people replied to the advertisement and how many took part in the final study?

Answer 5

• 75 potential participants completed questionnaires about family background
• 24 were selected who were judged to be the most stable (physically and mentally), most mature, and least involved in antisocial behaviours

Question 6

How long did participants have to play either the role of guard or prisoner for?

Answer 6

14 days and nights.

Question 7

What were the guards told their assigned task was?

Answer 7

To maintain a reasonable degree of order within the prison and to not let the prisoners escape.

Question 8

What did the guards wear?

Answer 8

-A khaki shirt, carried a whistle and a night-stick and wore reflective sunglasses (to prevent eye contact)

Question 9

What did the prisoners wear?

Answer 9

• Loose fitting muslim smocks with an ID number on the front

- Had a chain lock on their ankle and wore rubber sandals

Question 10

What was the prisoners uniform designed to make them feel like?

Answer 10

Designed to make them feel feminine and to de-individualise them and humiliate them.

Question 11

How were the prisoners brought to the prison?

Answer 11

• They were ‘arrested’ at their home by the real police, handcuffed and put in a detention cell
• They were then collected from the detention cell by one of the guards and an experimenter, blindfolded and taken to the mock prison

Question 12

What were the prisoners made to do when they got to the mock prison?

Answer 12

• They were made to strip, sprayed with a ‘delousing preparation’ (deodorant) spray and made to stand naked in the yard for a while.
• Then given a uniform and a ‘mug shot’ was taken

Question 13

How long did the study end up lasting and why?

Answer 13

The study was stopped after six days because of the enthusiasm of the ‘guards’ and the deterioration of some of the ‘prisoners’.

Question 14

What were the main results for the guards?

Answer 14

• They became more verbally abusive towards prisoners. Zimbardo called this the pathology of power
• Some guards offered to do extra hours without pay

Question 15

What were the main results for the prisoners?

Answer 15

• Even when prisoners were unaware of being watched, they played their roles as if they were prisoners
• 5 prisoners had to be released early because of extreme depression. Zimbardo called this the pathological prisoner syndrome

Question 16

What were the results to do with de-individualisation?

Answer 16

Prisoners lost their sense of individuality and they even referred to themselves by their ID number.

Question 17

What were the results to do with learned helplessness?

Answer 17

The unpredictable decisions of the guards led the prisoners to give up responding

Question 18

What were the results to do with dependency?

Answer 18

The fact that the prisoners depended on the guard for everything which emasculated the men and increased their sense of helplessness.

Question 19

What are the main conclusions of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 19

• Shows how social roles influence behaviour

- Implies that it is the structure and organisation of prison which leads to brutal behaviour