Social Influence: Conformity To Social Roles - FF Flashcards
Who studied conformity to social roles?
Zimbardo
Social roles are the parts that people play as members of various…?
Social groups
Social roles are accompanied by expectations that we and other have of appropriate behaviour in that role. What do we do with these expectations?
Internalise them
In what decade was Zimbardo’s study conducted?
1970’s
What did Zimbardo study?
Conformity to social roles
What sampling technique did Zimbardo use?
Volunteer
What was Zimbardo’s sample?
24 emotionally stable American male university students
How were the volunteers allocated to their role of prisoner or guard?
Randomly
Where were the prisoners arrested?
At their homes
What were the prisoners made to wear?
A smock uniform with a number attached
What were the guards made to wear?
Uniform, a night stick and mirrored glasses
Why were the prisoners and guards given uniforms?
To create a loss of personal identity
Where was Zimbardo’s study conducted?
Stanford University
What did Zimbardo set up in the basement of Stanford University?
A mock prison
What is a key term meaning ‘loss of personal identity’?
Deindividuation
What role did Zimbardo take on in the experiment?
Superintendent
Within a day, the prisoners rebelled. How?
By ripping off their numbers
As the experiment continued, what happened to the punishments by the guards?
They escalated
What key term means that someone is starting to identify with their social role?
Identification
Why were some prisoners released early?
Showed serious stress-related reactions
How many prisoners were released early due to showing symptoms of psychological disturbance?
Three
How long was the role play supposed to last for?
Two weeks
How long did the role play actually last for?
Six days
Did guards and prisoners conform to their social roles?
Yes
AO3: Does Zimbardo’s research have high or low control over extraneous variables?
High
AO3: Zimbardo’s sample was all male. What bias does this mean the sample has?
Gender bias
AO3: Does Zimbardo’s study having high control over extraneous variables increase the internal or external validity?
Internal
AO3: Does Zimbardo’s study having gender bias decrease the internal or external validity?
External validity
AO3: What word can we use to describe an all male sample?
Androcentric
AO3: Did Zimbardo’s research have any ethical issues?
Yes
AO3: Why was there a lack of informed consent in Zimbardo’s study?
Prisoner’s did not consent to being arrested
AO3: Why were the prisoner’s not protected from harm?
Some showed signs of psychological disturbance
AO3: What do ethical issues reduce for Zimbardo’s study?
Credibility
AO3: What did Zimbardo provide several years after his study?
Debriefing sessions
AO3: What did Zimbardo conclude from his debriefing sessions?
There were no long-lasting negative effects
AO3: Is Zimbardo’s research prone to demand characteristics?
Yes
AO3: Why is Zimbardo’s research prone to demand characteristics?
Zimbardo was Superintendent and participants were paid
AO3: Does Zimbardo’s study being prone to demand characteristics affect the internal or external validity?
Internal validity
‘The parts that people play as members of various social groups’ is a definition of what key term?
Social roles
Conformity to social roles was conducted by who?
Zimbardo
‘24 emotionally stable American male university students’ - who’s sample is this?
Zimbardo’s
Who took on the role of Superintendent in Zimbardo’s study?
Zimbardo
Zimbardo randomly allocated participants to which two roles?
Guard and Prisoner
Why is Zimbardo’s sample gender bias?
Because he used an all male sample
What does identification mean?
Someone is starting to identify with their social role - take on the behaviours.
What happened to the prisoners that showed serious stress-related reactions and how many were they?
5 - They were released early.
In Zimbardo’s study, who conformed to their social roles?
Both guards and prisoners
Where did Zimbardo set up a mock prison?
In the basement of Stanford University
Describe the sample used in Zimbardo’s study.
The sample consisted of 24 ‘emotionally stable’ US male university students who were determined to be emotionally stable through psychological testing prior to the study.
What routines and systems were established to simulate a realistic prison environment?
Routines included regular shifts, mealtimes, visiting times, a parole and disciplinary board, with Zimbardo himself taking on the role of the prison superintendent.
How did the random allocation of roles affect the internal validity of Zimbardo’s research?
The random allocation increased the internal validity of the research by allowing Zimbardo to accurately measure the power of social roles on levels of conformity, rather than the behavior being influenced by individual personality differences.
How does the use of a male-only sample impact the external validity of Zimbardo’s research into conformity to social roles?
The use of a male-only sample reduces the external validity of the research because the findings may not apply equally to women, questioning the generalisability of the results to the broader population.
Why are there ethical issues with Zimbardo’s Research?
There was a lack of informed consent, as the prisoners did not consent to being arrested at their homes and were only told they were taking part in an experiment investigating prison life.
