social influence - 1.2 Flashcards
Conformity to social roles as investigated by Zimbardo.
zimbardo’s procedure
zimbardo set up mock prison in the basement of the psychology department
volunteer sample paid $15 a day
the students were randomly assigned the roles of guards and prisoners
to heighten the realism of the study, the “prisoners” were arrested in their homes
they were blindfolded, strip-searched and issued a uniform and number
the social roles of the prisoners and the guards were strictly divided
the “guards” were given a uniform and were told they have complete power over the prisoners
social roles
patterns of behaviour expected in social positions
zimbardo’s sample
volunteer sample
zimbardo’s findings
the guard’s behaviour became a threat to the prisoners’ psychological and physical health, and the study was stopped after six days instead of the intended 14 days
within two days, the prisoners rebelled against their harsh treatment by the guards
they ripped their uniforms, and shouted and swore at the guards, who retaliated with fire extinguishers
the guards employed “divide and rule” tactics by playing the prisoners against each other
the guards identified more and more with their role
their behaviour became more brutal and aggressive, with some of them appearing to enjoy the power they had over the prisoners
zimbardo’s research conclusion
the simulation revealed the power of the situation to influence people’s behaviour
guards, prisoners and researchers all conformed to their roles within the prison
criticism of the study: lack of realism
could be argued the participants were merely play-acting rather than genuinely conforming to a role
their performances were based on stereotypes of how prisoners and guards are supposed to behave
however, zimbardo said there was quantitative data gathered that said that 90% of the conversations between prisoners was about prison life suggesting that they did believe it was real.
dispositional hypothesis
proposes that both prisoners and guards have personalities that make conflict inevitable
what hypothesis was dominant regarding prison behavior before the stanford prison experiment?
dispositional hypothesis
how were participants selected for the stanford prison experiment?
via a newspaper advert for volunteers
how many participants were selected for the study?
25 students
purpose of prisoners wearing uniform
to promote anonymity among participants
where was the mock prison set up?
basement of stamford university
how long was the study supposed to last for?
2 weeks
why did the experiment finish early?
threat to physical and psychological health
how did one of the prisoners rebel?
hunger strike
what does the study suggest about the impact of social roles?
social roles influence behaviour
criticism of the experiment’s sample
all participants were american male college students who volunteered
lacks population validity
questions extent of generalisation to others
demand characteristics in the context of this study?
participants changed behaviour to fit expectations
how did zimbardo’s dual role affect the study?
raised questions about the validity
on one occasion a student who wanted to leave the study spoke to zimbardo in his role of superintendent
zimbardo responded as a superintendent worried about his prison rather than as a researcher with responsibilities towards his participants
limitation regarding ecological validity in the context of this study
mock prisons differ from real prisons
e.g. there were no consequences for misbehaviour which would extend sentence as maximum sentence was 2 weeks
what criteria were used to select participants for the experiment?
stable, mentally and physically
least antisocial
how has the study been praised?
careful selection of participants
e.g. they were emotionally stable and least involved in anti-social behaviour
how is the study internally valid?
reduced participant variables and researcher bias by random allocation into different groups
how might the study be ecologically valid?
the prison was visited by a prison consultant for over 16 years, a public defender and a prison chaplain
the depressed effect the study had on some of the prisoners as well as the willingness on the part of some of the guards to work overtime for no extra pay pointed to a level of reality
