social influence - zimbardo's research

Question 1

what are social roles?

Answer 1

the parts people play as members of social groups, and the expectations that come with this.

Question 2

conformity to social roles

Answer 2

these arise out of the social roles we play in society and are powerful influences on our behaviour.

Question 3

zimbardo

Answer 3

situations that make people act the way they do rather than their disposition.

Question 4

what was his aim?

Answer 4

to find out whether prison guards behaved brutally because they have sadistic personalities or is it the situation that creates behaviour.

Question 5

what was his procedure?

Answer 5

24 male psych students at the stanford university in california.
volunteered
random allocation for roles of prisoners and guards
two week experiment
prisoners were unexpectedly arrested at home
prison uniform and numbers were given
23 hours a day locked in ‘cells’
prison guards were given sticks and mirrored glasses.

Question 6

what were the findings?

Answer 6

only lasted 6 days
nervous breakdowns
hunger strikes
prisoners became apathetic

Question 7

what was his conclusion?

Answer 7

they conformed to the social roles
deindividuation
guards became so sadistic