Social Role Conformity, Zimbardo et al (1973) - SOCIAL INFLUENCE Flashcards
experiment name and researcher
stanford prison experiment, Zimbardo et al, 1973
what was this experiment done to show
social role conformity
what new theoretical ideas did zimbardo have
deindividuation and disinhibition
participants in experiment
24 male volunteers (college students)
where did the experiment take place
a mock prison - in basement of Stanford University (USA)
how were the participants split
12 ‘prisoners’ and 12 ‘guards’ - randomly allocated (Zimbardo was head guard)
how were the ‘prisoners’ arrested
without warning at home
continued to be given prison uniform and ID number
what orders were the Guards given
told to “maintain order” and to not cause physical harm
how were the prisoners meant to be treated
only referred to by ID numbers
3 meals and 3 supervised toilet trips a day
2 visits per week
what were the guards given to get into role
uniforms, clubs, whistles and sunglasses
findings of the experiment
guards grew abusive to prisoners
participants appeared to forget it wasn’t real
participants still conformed to roles when not being watched
how many participants left the study early and why
5 prisoners released early due to extreme reactions (crying, rage, anxiety)
after how long were symptoms of mental health deterioration being seen from the prisoners
just 2 days
how long was the experiment meant to be, and how long was it actually
meant to be 2 weeks
ended up being 6 days
what caused the experiment to be terminated early
person from the public was allowed to watch CCTV and reminded researchers it was a psychological study - threatened to call the police
ethical problems
investigator effect - Zimbardo was head guard
confidentiality - letting mem. of public watch CCTV without participants consent
informed consent - Zimbardo himself didn’t know how far the actions would go
informed consent - participants didn’t consent to being arrested at home
conclusion of experiment
conformity to social roles are very powerful
strength of experiment
temporal validity
good control over variables
what experiment supports the finding that conforming to perceived social roles changes behaviour over time
Reicher and Haslam (2006) stanford prison exp. replication -bbc
what did the Reicher and Haslam replication find, however
prisoners became dominant rather than guards
what was different about the Reicher and Haslam replication
far more valid and ethically correct
how did the replication show Zimbardo’s original experiment had temporal validity
the fact that generally the same experiment was able to be done again over 30 years later
criticism of experiment
poor mundane realism
why did it have poor mundane realism
obvious props e.g. plywood bars, cubicles without a ceiling
what did the low mundane realism lead to
demand characteristics
what later study showed that people still conform to social roles as Zimbardo predicted, when it has high mundane realism
Abu Ghraib’s prison study
(guards mistreated prisoners within days in similar ways, in a prison associated with torture)
what does the fact that ZImbardo’s predictions were still valid in a real life situation show
ecological validity
counter argument for behaviour of participants was due to demand characteristics (Zimbardo)
90% conversations in study were about prison life, a prisoner expressed that the prison was real by run by psychologists instead of the state
what good control over variables did Zimbardo have
selection of participants - emotionally stable individuals randomly assigned
showed behaviour must have been due to pressures of situation
what is deindividuation
the losing of self identity
what is disinhibition
the losing of self control
