LS5 - Conformity To Social Roles

Question 1

Conformity To Social Roles

Answer 1

The part people play of members of different social groups, and the expectations we and others have of what is appropriate behaviour for each role.

Question 2

SPE Study Aim Zimbardo (year)

Answer 2

1973, to investigate how readily people would conform to the roles of guards and prisoners in a role-playing exercise that stimulated prison life.

Question 3

SPE Study Method/Procedure

Answer 3

Zimbardo converted a basement of the Stanford University psychology building into a mock prison, and advertised the study in a newspaper. From over 70 applicants, 24 male college students were paid $15/day, one dropped out leaving 10 prisoners and 11 guards that were randomly assigned to the pps. Guards had 8hr shifts and prisoners were 3 to a room, there was also solitary confinement to make it as realistic as possible. Prisoners were arrested at their homes without warning, booked , fingerprinted, photographed, they were driven to the mock prison blindfolded, they were deloused and stripped naked and were issued a uniform and only referred to by their ID number. Guards wore glasses that prevented eye contact with prisoners. Zimbardo observed the behaviour of the prisoners and guards as the research and also as the prison warden.

Question 4

SPE Study Results

Answer 4

Prisoners & guards quickly identified with their social roles, and prisoner’s attempts to rebel was quickly crushed by the guards who grew increasingly abusive., and dehumanised prisoners, identifying further with their dominant role. 5 prisoners left early cuz of their adverse reactions to the physical/mental torment e.g. crying & anxiety. The experiment was set to run for 2 weeks but was terminated on day 6, when fellow postgraduate student Christina Masalach convinced Zimbardo that conditions in his experiment were inhumane.

Question 5

Strengths Of SPE

Answer 5

Good Level Of Control Over Variables.
Abu Ghraib

Question 6

Weaknesses of SPE

Answer 6

Ethical Issues.
Lack Of Research Support

Question 7

Good Level Of Control Over Variables (+)

Answer 7

Zimbardo chose the most emotionally stable males. There was no experimenter bias when giving out roles which confirms the behaviours were due to the pressures of the situation rather than their own individual personalities. Having a high level of control increases the internal validity.

Question 8

ABU Ghraib SPE

Answer 8

This gives good application, USA Military Police committed serious human rights violations against Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. Zimbardo argues that the same conformity to social role effect that was evident in the SPE was also present in Abu Ghraib, a military prison in Iraq notorious for the torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers in 2003/4, based on situational factors at that time. Lack of training, unrelenting boredom and no accountability to higher authorities were present in the SPE and Abu Ghraib, these combined with an opportunity to misuse the power associated with being a guard led to the prisoners abuses in both situations.

Question 9

Lack Of Research Support (-)

Answer 9

Reicher & Haslam (2006) partially replicated the SPE on BBC TV. Their findings were different to Zimbardo’s, the prisoners eventually took control of the prisoners and subjected the guards to a campaign of harassment and disobedience. The researchers used the Social Identity Theory, to argue that the guards had failed to develop a shared identity as a cohesive group but the prisoners did.

Question 10

Ethical Issues (-)

Answer 10

Zimbardo has a dual role in the study e.g. a student wanted to leave and Zimbardo spoke to him as the superintendent which means he abandoned his responsibility towards his participants as the researcher. There was a lack of informed consent/deception, they didn’t know they’d be arrested in their own homes, which could’ve caused psychological distress.