Lesson 5- Conformity To Social Roles (Zimbardo)

Question 1

What experiment did Zimbardo carry out and when did he conduct it?

Answer 1

Stanford prison experiment- 1974

Question 2

Why did Zimbardo conduct the Stanford prison experiment & what was the aim of it?

Answer 2

Stanford Prison Experiment 🧪 (1974)- brutality- guards American 🇺🇸 prisons- personalities (dispositional) OR prison environment (situational)
Aim- see whether people will conform to new social roles

Question 3

Where was the Stanford prison experiment carried out?

Answer 3

Stanford University- Basement- mock prison

Question 4

How were pps chosen for the Stanford prison experiment?

Answer 4

24/70 most mentally 🧠 stable male 👨 college students chosen

Question 5

Give 2 details about the prisoners

Answer 5

1) given & only referred to by ID number- feel anonymous
2) chain around 1 ankle

Question 6

Give 2 details about the guards

Answer 6

1) identical khaki uniform

2) special☀️ 👓- prevent eye contact

Question 7

How LONG did the experiment run (and how long was it INTENDED to last)?

Answer 7

Experiment 🧪 called of- 6 days (intended to run for fortnight)

Question 8

What AFFECT did this experiment have on the PRISONERS?

Answer 8

2 prisoners- nervous breakdown, 1 prisoner- released- uncontrollable bursts of 😱, 😭, 😡

As prisoners became ⬆️ submissive, guards became more aggressive

Question 9

What AFFECT did this experiment have on the GUARDS?

Answer 9

Guards- behaved- brutal, sadistic manner- enjoyed harassing prisoners
Prisoners- taunted, insulted, pointless & boring tasks, dehumanised- DIDN’T STAND UP

Question 10

Name & describe 4 ways in which Zimbardo DEFENDS ethical issues of his study

Answer 10

1) Deception- 👮‍♂‍ arrest- prisoners unaware- because final approval- police 👮‍♂‍- not given until minutes before- & surprise- BUT breached Zimbardo’s contract with pps
2) Approval- Study- given by University Committee of Human Experimentation
3) No alternatives to finding desired info
4) Benefits 👍 gained (understanding human behaviour) outbalanced distress 👎 caused

Question 11

What are the evaluation points of the Stanford prison experiment?

Answer 11

👎- Lack of research support- BBC Prison Study- findings different- prisoners took control of mock prison- established shared identity (Social Identity Theory)- cohesive group- refused to accept limits as prisoners
👍- Good control over variables- Zimbardo chose most emotionally stable males- no experimenter bias- roles randomly assigned- behaviour has to be due to situational factors- variable control ⬆️ internal validity (validity of study)- conclusions made with confidence
👎- Ethical issues- Zimbardo’s dual roles- superintendent & psychologist- when 👨‍🎓 wanted to leave- Zimbardo responded as superintendent- ✖️psychologist with responsibility towards pps
👍- Relevance to Abu Gharib (Iraq prison)- 2003-2004 🇺🇸 military 👮‍- committed serious human rights violations against Iraqi prisoners- Zimbardo- says same form on conformity to social role- guards or 👮‍ subject to situational factors