Social influence [ Zimbardo ] Flashcards
The Stanford Prison Experiment :
Who Founded it + why ?
This Study was Funded by US Navy.
Attempts to explain the violent and brutal conditions often found in prison had previously used dispositional attribution.
Why do Bad people do Bad Things ?
- Prison life is horrible because of the people that inhabit prisons.
- It is not the prison environment that makes people act in the ways that they do but rather the dispositions of those who live and work there.
Why people act like they do ?
Zimbardo argues that its the situation rather then their disposition.
Dispositional hypothesis is true then it leaves little possibility for significant prison reforms.
But if its not true then there is a greater possibility for prison reforms and better prison can be created.
Aims 1 + 2 ?
Aim 1 : To show how the taking of social roles would lead to excessive conformity to those roles.
Aim 2 : To test the dispositional hypothesis.
- Are prisons bad because of the people who live and work there or is it the prison system that is bad ?
Methods + IV + DV :
The study is usually described as an Experiment.
IV : The conditions the participants were randomly assigned = prisoner or guard.
DV : The resulting behaviour.
The study can also be described as a simulation as it was attempting to create a prison like environment
The Participants
- Respondent to a Newspaper AD :
75 Responded = 24 Men judged to be the most physically and mentally stable, and least involved in antisocial behaviours.
- Middle class
- Male
- Healthy
- White
The Participants Consent ?
The participants signed a contract guaranteeing basic living needs.
The contract clearly stated that if they were to be assigned to the role of prisoner they would have to have some basic civil rights suspended.
Participants Roles :
They were randomly assigned to the role of ‘Prisoner’ or ‘Guard’.
Those assigned prisoner were informed by telephone to be available at their homes on a particular Sunday when the experiment wold begin.
Guards were not told how to behave except from being explicitly told that they were not allowed to use physical punishment or physical aggression
The Prison :
The ‘experimenters wanted to try to simulate a prison environment within the limits imposed by pragmatic and ethical considerations.’
A simulated prison was built in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford University.
The Simulated Prison Consisted of :
- 3 cells [6x9], 3 prisoners to a cell, a cot [with a mattress, sheet and pillow ].
- Solitary Confinement : A very small, unlit room 2x2x7ft
- Guards’ Quarters : Rooms in an adjacent wing used to change in & out of uniform & relaxation, interview rooms an da bedroom for the ‘warden & superintendent’ [ Zimbardo ]
A Yard : A small, enclosed room
The prison itself :
- Consulted with a former prisoner.
- Intercom system
- No windowss or clocks
The Uniforms :
Guards uniforms :
- Khaki shirts and pants, batons, reflective sunglasses
Prisoners uniforms :
- Loose fitting smocks [ dresses ] with ID number, no underwear, a lock & chain around one ankle, stocking caps to cover their hair.
The Arrests + Humiliation :
The Arrests :
- Police cars arrived and the subjects were arrested.
- Subjects were fingerprinted and blindfolded
The Humiliation :
- Searched
- stripped naked
Daily Life :
Prisoners stayed in the prison and followed a strict schedule of work assignments, rest, toilet and food breaks.
Guards worked in 8 hour shifts.
The Results :
The experiment disintegrated very quickly.
The guards began to humiliate & punish the prisoners.
many prisoners began to show signs of metal & emotional distress.
Results on the second day :
- The prisoners organised a mass revolt & riot as a protest about the conditions.
- Guards worked extra hours and developed a plan to stop the riot using fire-extinguishers.
- After this they began to react passively.
- They began to feel helpless and no longer in control of their lives.
Results of Guards :
- The guards became more aggressive.
- Every guard at some point behaved in an abusive authoritarian way.
- They even enjoyed the power & control.
Results of Prisoners :
- All prisoners rights were redefined as privileges.
Results of Prisoners :
- All prisoners rights were redefined as privileges.
- They punished the prisoners with little or no justification.
- They verbally insulted the prisoners.
- The prisoners became institutionalised very quickly and adapted to their roles.
Define : Pathological prisoner syndrome
~ The loos of personal identity
~ The arbitrary control exercised by the guards
~ Dependency & emasculation
Evidence
