Lecture 8 - Social Influence and Tyranny Flashcards
Who investigated the Stanford Prison Experiment
Haney Banks and Zimbardo 1973
What was the purpose of the Stanford Prison Experiment Haney Banks and Zimbardo 1973
Aftermath WW2 - understand extremes behaviour
Started ethical debate
Look at controlled lab experiment
What did the SPE end
Ended series post war studies
Moving minimal group paradigms
Move away from personality
Shift from individual to group behaviour
What is the modern day relevance of Stanford Prison Experiment
Abuse of Iraqi pows by GIS probed 2004
American forces violated Iraqi prisoners of war
Beating, humiliating prisoners. Encouraged get uncooperative prisoners speak
What does Zimbardo, Massachusetts and Haney 2007 say about the move from the focus on personality
Understand evil that good people readily do other good people within context of socially approved roles, rules and norms
How were participants were recruited for the Stanford Prison Experiment
UG students volunteered 2 week study
Respond adverts
Paid $15 a week
How were participants assigned to roles in Stanford Prison Experiment
Randomly assigned
Prisoners = 12 Guards = 12
Where was the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted
Basement of Stanford University Psychology department California
Mock Prison - bars on windows, reduced exists, cleaners cupboard became solitary confinement
Outline the orientation for guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Controlling prisoners without physical force
Create fear sense lack freedom
Feel as though they were in prison, never mention it’s a study
Take away their individuality
Call them by numbers
Sense powerlessness
How did ppts get to the Prison in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Arrested at their residence made wear prison issued uniforms Placed cells Limited freedom Basic human rights taken away Refer to each other by number
What was the guards role
Uniforms including sunglasses
Referred to as Mr Correctional Officer
Keep behaviours in line
Power over prisoners control resources give rewards and punishment
How did prisoners originally react to guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Reacted, rallied against and asked Zimbardo help regulate officers behaviours
What was the result of the initial rallying against guards by prisoners in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Reversed impact
Guards intensified, rallies against leaders and rebellious prisoners locking them in confinement
Waking them up in middle night
Feeding food ones their food
Displayed cruelty, demands more arbitrary. Divide and rule tactics
Did Zimbardo intervene after initial conflict between prisoners and officers in the Stanford Prison Experiment
No
Watched confrontation and attempts restore law and order
Line between experiment and reality became blurred
Did Zimbardo persuade ppts to stay in his Stanford Prison Experiment
Yes
Reminded them of compensation
Talked parents out of removing their son
How does Zimbardo believe he acted in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Evil person administrator not the good hearted professor like to think I am
After how long was the Stanford Prison Experiment abandoned
6 days
Instead of 2 weeks
What was critical in the ending of the Stanford Prison Experiment
Reaction fellow researchers
Researcher cam up who hadn’t been there from start and saw what was going on
Told Zimbardo had to stop
How did Zimbardo reflect on the Stanford Prison Experiment
He and others had
Internalised set destructive prison values that distances them from their own humanitarian values
Adopted roles forgot wasn’t reality
Triggers collective action leads mass action
Were prisoners and guards psychologically different in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Administered number psychological tests
NOT psychologically different
Terms of aggression, authoritarianism, or from general population norms
What is the power of the situation demonstrated in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Permits abusive or aggressive actions
Take away from responsibility
Deindividuated increased Whatever behaviour group going
Single lesson = situation matters
What is the power of Roles in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Prisoners weren’t supported became withdrawn zombie like
Role being reduced responsibilities - even without authority figure
Not reflective of identity
Separate role related actions
Outline Zimbardos own role transformation
From compassionate teacher to data focused researcher to callous Prison
Improper bizarre things
Fully adopting role made prison work
Failed appreciate need terminate experimenter soon 2nd prisoner went over edge - Lucifer Effect
How was deindividuation given rise to in the Stanford Prison Experiment
External situation anonymity rise inner psychological state deindividuation
Guards depersonalised = sunglasses
Tyranny embedded powerful group
Group people social roles create group norms members comply = emergent norm theory
Outline Dehumanisation in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Treatment prisoners less than human
Abuse more easily justified
Destructive consequences
Facilitates abusive and destructive actions towards those objectified
Outline the role of The System in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Creates, legitimises and sustains roles, anonymity and dehumanisation
Seek validation means ideology or views of world
Not enact behaviour directly but brings it about = embrace time
Situation important shaping behaviour but situation shaped by system
Outline Reicher and Haslam 2006 criticisms of Zimbardos Stanford Prison Experiment
Findings difficult verify - not all recorded, fewer publicly available
Data observation - not controlled measurement behaviour
Ppts behaviour due to acceptance of role or leadership? Experimental bias?
Evidence resistance by prisoners and some guards not tyrannically - both largely ignored
Outline the general criticism of Zimbardos briefing in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Zimbardos leadership may have been influential briefing guards
Gave them license behave tyrannically
Taking away from freedom of action
What is the general criticism of the impact of crowds for ZimbardosStanford Prison Experiment
In crowd we lose individuality
Outline general question does anonymity always lead to deindividuation and Tyranny? As a criticism of the Stanford Prison Experiment
Depend on situational cues
Ppts in dark - anonymity show compassionate approach
How is behaviour from group members best understood in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Best understood by changed from personal to social identity
Product how well identify group and what group allows
Outline criticism of role consistent behaviour in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Role consistent behaviour be reframed as identity consistent behaviour and not all groups allow tyrannical behaviour
Outline criticisms of the Stanford Prison Experiment by Banuazizi and Movahedi 1975
Questions how realistic environment was
Different real prison: know haven’t committed crime leave any time
Walls prison remind prisoners different outsiders whereas ppts believe they are good people taking part in prestigious research
Who conducted a BB replication of Zimbardos Stanford Prison Experiment
Haslam and Reicher 2006
What is the shift in perspective taken by Haslam and Reicher 2006
Shift away from focus individual characteristics towards nature group processes
Endorse group level tyranny - unequal social system involving arbitrary or oppressive use power by one group or its agents over another
What issue did Haslam and Reicher 2006 raise with Tyranny
Tyrannical social order becomes attractive groups ineffective their functioning