Social Role Conformity, Zimbardo et al (1973) - SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Question 1

experiment name and researcher

Answer 1

stanford prison experiment, Zimbardo et al, 1973

Question 2

what was this experiment done to show

Answer 2

social role conformity

Question 3

what new theoretical ideas did zimbardo have

Answer 3

deindividuation and disinhibition

Question 4

participants in experiment

Answer 4

24 male volunteers (college students)

Question 5

where did the experiment take place

Answer 5

a mock prison - in basement of Stanford University (USA)

Question 6

how were the participants split

Answer 6

12 ‘prisoners’ and 12 ‘guards’ - randomly allocated (Zimbardo was head guard)

Question 7

how were the ‘prisoners’ arrested

Answer 7

without warning at home

continued to be given prison uniform and ID number

Question 8

what orders were the Guards given

Answer 8

told to “maintain order” and to not cause physical harm

Question 9

how were the prisoners meant to be treated

Answer 9

only referred to by ID numbers
3 meals and 3 supervised toilet trips a day
2 visits per week

Question 10

what were the guards given to get into role

Answer 10

uniforms, clubs, whistles and sunglasses

Question 11

findings of the experiment

Answer 11

guards grew abusive to prisoners
participants appeared to forget it wasn’t real
participants still conformed to roles when not being watched

Question 12

how many participants left the study early and why

Answer 12

5 prisoners released early due to extreme reactions (crying, rage, anxiety)

Question 13

after how long were symptoms of mental health deterioration being seen from the prisoners

Answer 13

just 2 days

Question 14

how long was the experiment meant to be, and how long was it actually

Answer 14

meant to be 2 weeks

ended up being 6 days

Question 15

what caused the experiment to be terminated early

Answer 15

person from the public was allowed to watch CCTV and reminded researchers it was a psychological study - threatened to call the police

Question 16

ethical problems

Answer 16

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

Question 17

conclusion of experiment

Answer 17

conformity to social roles are very powerful

Question 18

strength of experiment

Answer 18

temporal validity

good control over variables

Question 19

what experiment supports the finding that conforming to perceived social roles changes behaviour over time

Answer 19

Reicher and Haslam (2006) stanford prison exp. replication -bbc

Question 20

what did the Reicher and Haslam replication find, however

Answer 20

prisoners became dominant rather than guards

Question 21

what was different about the Reicher and Haslam replication

Answer 21

far more valid and ethically correct

Question 22

how did the replication show Zimbardo’s original experiment had temporal validity

Answer 22

the fact that generally the same experiment was able to be done again over 30 years later

Question 23

criticism of experiment

Answer 23

poor mundane realism

Question 24

why did it have poor mundane realism

Answer 24

obvious props e.g. plywood bars, cubicles without a ceiling

Question 25

what did the low mundane realism lead to

Answer 25

demand characteristics

Question 26

what later study showed that people still conform to social roles as Zimbardo predicted, when it has high mundane realism

Answer 26

Abu Ghraib’s prison study

(guards mistreated prisoners within days in similar ways, in a prison associated with torture)

Question 27

what does the fact that ZImbardo’s predictions were still valid in a real life situation show

Answer 27

ecological validity

Question 28

counter argument for behaviour of participants was due to demand characteristics (Zimbardo)

Answer 28

90% conversations in study were about prison life, a prisoner expressed that the prison was real by run by psychologists instead of the state

Question 29

what good control over variables did Zimbardo have

Answer 29

selection of participants - emotionally stable individuals randomly assigned
showed behaviour must have been due to pressures of situation

Question 30

what is deindividuation

Answer 30

the losing of self identity

Question 31

what is disinhibition

Answer 31

the losing of self control