zimbardo

Question 1

what was the aim of zimbardo’s prison experiment?

Answer 1

to investigate how readily people will conform to roles of guard and prisoner in a role-playing exercise that simulated prison life

Question 2

what was the procedure of zimbardo’s prison experiment?

Answer 2

• 24 participants paid $15 a day agreed to 12 week study and were randomly assigned guard or prisoner
• Mock prison was set up in Stanford basement
• Prisoners wore smocks, guards wore khaki shirts and trousers
• Prisoners were arrested at home, stripped, photographed then put in cells
• The guards were told to keep the prison under control
• Zimbardo observed their behaviour

Question 3

what was the findings of zimbardo’s prison experiment?

Answer 3

• Prisoners became increasingly passive as guards interactions with them became more verbally hostile - lead to aggression
• In first 4 days 4 prisoners were released with signs of extreme emotional disturbance. On the 5th day another was released
• Experiment was terminated on the 6th day

Question 4

what was the conclusion of zimbardo’s prison experiment?

Answer 4

The guards and prisoners conformed to the social roles. Both groups became dehumanised in the eyes of the others.

Question 5

4 weaknesses of study

Answer 5

1. raises ethical concerns
2. ignores individual differences
3. lacks ecological validity
4. uses demand characteristics

Question 6

weakness - raises ethical concerns

Answer 6

P - raises ethical concerns regarding wellbeing of participants
E - experienced extreme emotional distress and psychological harm
E - prompts questions about appropriateness of conducting such a study without adequate safeguards
L - highlights ethical dilemmas faced by Zimbardo

Question 7

weakness - ignores individual differences

Answer 7

P - study ignores individual differences
E - IDS are essential to acknowledge when evaluating participants reactions
E - different individuals may exhibit distinct reactions in similar situations
L - questions generalizability of findings to diverse population

Question 8

weakness - lacks ecological validity

Answer 8

P - lacks ecological validity
E - simulated prison environment may not accurately reflect real-world situations
E - study conclusions not applicable to broader human behaviour in everyday scenarios
L - findings aren’t generalisable

Question 9

weakness - uses demand characteristics

Answer 9

P - uses demand characteristics
E - participants might have altered their behaviour to conform to perceived expectations
E - observed behaviours may result more from the experimental context than inherent human nature
L - therefore this compromises the studies internal validity