Social Influence: Lesson 4 - Conformity To Social Rules

Question 1

What are social roles?

Answer 1

The behaviours expected of an individual who occupies a social position or status
People can conform to the social roles assigned to them

Question 2

What was the Zimbardo experiment? (Procedure)

Answer 2

Zimbardo wanted to investigate whether conformity to social roles would alter a person’s behaviour

• a stimulated prison was created in Stanford University Psychology department
• 24 emotionally and psychologically stable young men recruited
• randomly assigned roles as guard or prisoner
• guards had complete control (told to maintain order by any means necessary)
• prisoners confined to cells

Question 3

What are the findings of the Zimbardo prison experiment!

Answer 3

• there was a rebellion on the second day
• guard humiliated prisoners as a result if this rebellion
• guards became increasingly cruel and aggressive over the days
• prisoners became passive and depressed
• guards became so aggressive that study had to be ended after six days (was meant to end after two weeks:

Question 4

Evaluation of Zimbardo experiment 1 (highly unethical) (-)

Answer 4

• was highly unethical
• prisoners subject to psychological harm
• 5 prisoners had to be released early as a result of their extre,e behaviours

Question 5

Evaluation of Zimbardo experiment 2 (validity) (-)

Answer 5

Zimbardo took on the role of prison warden and became very involved in the experiment
He lost his objectivity
He had to be told by a colleague to end the experiment because of concern of the wellbeing of the prisoners
The validity of his findings can be questioned

Question 6

Evaluation of Zimbardo experiment 3 (unrepresentative sample) (-)

Answer 6

The sample was unrepresentative b/c all of the participants were white (with one exception), young, middle class male students from Stanford university 
The results cannot be generalised to other genders or cultures due to gender bias and culture bias

Question 7

Evaluation of Zimbardo experiment 4 (demand characteristics) (-)

Answer 7

The guards in the experiment ay have behaved that way due to demand characteristics
Some participants reported that they thought the experimenters wanted them to behave aggressively

Question 8

Evaluation of Zimbardo experiment 4 (individual differences) (-)

Answer 8

Some of the guards did not conform to the role given to them

• they were very reluctant to take part in cruelty towards the prisoners
• suggests that individual differences are important in determining the extent to which people conform to social roles