L3 - Zimbardo Flashcards
What was the aim of the SPE?
The study aimed to investigate whether people conform to a given ‘social role’
What was the procedure of the SPE?
24 psychologically healthy male students volunteered.
They were randomly assigned ‘guard’ or ‘prisoner’
They were ‘arrested’ at home and given a uniform, ID number, meals + supervised toilet trips
Guards had uniforms, whistles, reflective sunglasses + clubs
Zimbardo played role of warden
What were the findings of SPE?
Guards quickly became tyrannical + abusive
‘role behaviour’ continued even when they didn’t know they were being watched
Some prisoners had extreme reactions (e.g. anxiety, hunger strike) after just 2 days
The study ended on day 6
What do the findings of SPE suggest?
Guards + prisoners largely conformed to their social roles
We know this because even when they thought that they were not being watched, the conforming behaviour continued.
However, not all guards became abusive, suggesting a role for individual differences
Why were uniforms, numbers +shades used?
to create de-individuation which increased likelihood that participants would conform to the perceived social role
Why did Zimbardo conclude that de-individuation increases conformity?
because individuals feel less responsible for their actions
What was the BBC prison experiment?
A television attempt to replicate SPE in UK
Involved 15 men, randomly assigned guard/prisoner
Conformity wasn’t automatic: guards authority quickly broke down + participants set up a ‘commute’ (equal share of tasks + respect)
Haslam + Reicher argued that this was due to prisoners identifying as a group + guards failing to identify with their role
