the stanford prison experiment (zimbardo)

Question 1

procedure

Answer 1

set up mock prison in basement of stanford psychology department
21 male student volunteers
tested to see if they were ‘emotionally stable’
randomly assigned to play role of prisoner or prison guard
both roles encouraged to conform to social roles through uniforms & instructions about behaviour

Question 2

uniforms

Answer 2

prisoners
loose smock and cap to cover hair
identified by number
guards
wooden club, handcuffs, mirror shades
uniforms created loss of personal identity - de-individualisation
meant they would be more likely to conform

Question 3

findings

Answer 3

guards treated prisoners harshly
within 2 days, prisoners rebelled (ripped uniforms, shouted, and swore)
guards harassed prisoners constantly (headcounts even at night)
prisoners became depressed, subdued, and anxious
3 prisoners were released, 1 went on hunger strike
some guards seemed to enjoy the power they had
ended study after 6 days, not 14

Question 4

conclusions

Answer 4

social roles appear to have large influence on individual’s behaviour
guards were brutal
prisoners were submissive

Question 5

protection from harm

Answer 5

limitation
prisoners were “arrested” by real police
stripped, blindfolded, deloused - embarrassment/humiliation
guards were extremely hostile
some become dehumanising and controlling
some prisoners left due to psychological harm

Question 6

c - protection from harm

Answer 6

cost-benefit analysis
the conclusions drawn are more beneficial to society than they were harmful

Question 7

control over extraneous variables

Answer 7

strength
given a survey to complete - chose pps who seemed ‘mentally stable’
randomly assigned roles - avoids bias
increases internal validity

Question 8

lack of realism

Answer 8

limitation
demand characteristics - pps may have no real prison experience
based behaviour from movies/tv - unrealistic/overdramatised/glorified
decreases external validity

Question 9

c - lack of realism

Answer 9

prisoners behaved as if it was real to them
90% of conversations were about prison
discussed how they couldn’t leave until their ‘sentences’ were over
prisoner 146 stated that he believed the prison was real but ran by psychologists rather than the government