Reicher & Haslam Flashcards
Method
Lab experiment
Aim
To discover what happens when groups are unequal in power and privilege,
when they identify with their group or role
To examine social, organisational and clinical factors in group behaviour
To develop an ethical framework for examining psychological issues
Location
BBC film studio, London
Design
Repeated measures
Approach
Time series
Independent Variables
Permeability of roles
Legitimacy of roles
Cognitive alternatives
Sample
Self selected
Sample size
332 applications reduced to 15 men
Participants
Well adjusted and pro social
Filled assessed over a weekend by independent clinical psychologists, screened, provided medical and character references
Police checks
Diverse ethnicity, class and age
Matched on personality into 5 groups of 3- 2 became prisoners and 1 guard
What happened to the prisoners when they went in?
Deindividualisation
Given numbers
Given uniforms
Head shaved
Results phase 1
Guards didn’t develop group identity: didn’t internalise power role and could not agree priorities
Until day three (promotion) prisoners tried to show guard like qualities and didn’t form group identity
After fixed roles prisoners develop group identity and begin to challenge guards
Day 5 - new prisoner trade union official
Results phase 2
Day 6 - prisoners break out of cell and occupy guards quarters
Decide to continue as a self governing commune
Commune day 1 - dominant challengers violate commune rules
Commune day 2 - authoritarian hierarchy is established again
Study terminated on day 8
How was stress measured?
Audio and video recordings
Daily psychometric testing
Daily swabs of saliva (stress hormone)
Dependent variables
Social variables eg identification, awareness of other plans of action
Organisational variables eg compliance with rules
Clinical variables eg depression, stress hormone
Advantages of the method
More control, not extraneous variables, heightens validity
