Zimbardo

Question 1

What was the aim of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 1

To investigate conformity to social roles in society, particularly in military prisons

This study was initiated due to concerns about the abuse occurring in military prisons during the 1970s.

Question 2

What specific concern prompted Zimbardo to conduct his study?

Answer 2

The abuse of power by military staff towards inmates in military prisons

The concern was about abuse occurring not only in times of war but also during peace.

Question 3

How many participants were involved in the Stanford prison experiment?

Answer 3

24 male university students

Participants were selected based on their mental and physical health.

Question 4

What compensation did participants receive for the Stanford prison experiment?

Answer 4

$15 per day

This payment was seen as a way to instill a sense of responsibility towards the experiment.

Question 5

How were participants assigned their roles in the study?

Answer 5

Randomly assigned to be ‘prisoners’ or ‘guards’

This ensured that the roles were assigned without bias.

Question 6

What characteristics were the selected participants judged on?

Answer 6

Mental stability, physical health, maturity, and minimal involvement in antisocial behaviors

This selection aimed to create a group of equals at the start of the experiment.

Question 7

What phenomenon occurred among the guards and prisoners during the experiment?

Answer 7

Deindividuation

This led to participants adopting their roles more fully and losing their individual identities.

Question 8

What conclusion did Zimbardo reach regarding the cause of abuse in military prisons?

Answer 8

The abuse is a product of the social roles and environment

Zimbardo emphasized that abuse occurs when one group has power over another.

Question 9

True or False: Zimbardo’s study found that personality was the primary cause of the abuse in military prisons.

Answer 9

False

The study focused on the influence of social roles rather than individual personality.

Question 10

Fill in the blank: Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment demonstrated conformity to _______.

Answer 10

social roles

Participants conformed to the stereotypical behaviors associated with their assigned roles.

Question 11

What type of sample was used in the study?

Answer 11

Volunteer sample

The volunteer sample made the choice fair for the participants.

Question 12

What were the participants randomly assigned to in the study?

Answer 12

Guards and prisoners

This random assignment was a strength of the study.

Question 13

What did the guards wear during the experiment?

Answer 13

Khaki uniforms, mirrored sunglasses, batons, and whistles

The guards were instructed to maintain law and order.

Question 14

How were the prisoners deindividualized in the study?

Answer 14

Given an ID number and uniforms

They could only be called by their ID number and wore a smock, no underwear, and a nylon cap.

Question 15

What was the initial duration planned for the experiment?

Answer 15

2 weeks

The study was supposed to last this long but ended early.

Question 16

What behavior did guards exhibit within hours of the experiment starting?

Answer 16

Harassment of prisoners

They began to exercise control and dehumanize the prisoners.

Question 17

What did the prisoners begin to do as the experiment progressed?

Answer 17

Adopt prisoner-like behavior

They talked about prison issues and ‘told tales’ to please the guards.

Question 18

What was one example of how prisoners were dehumanized?

Answer 18

Taunted with insults and given pointless tasks

Guards stepped on backs of prisoners doing push-ups.

Question 19

What ethical concerns arose during the study?

Answer 19

Physical abuse and emotional distress

The study had to be ended early due to these issues.

Question 20

What is a limitation regarding the ecological validity of the study?

Answer 20

The experiment is artificial

It does not replicate a real prison environment.

Question 21

What does the generalisability of the study’s findings refer to?

Answer 21

Limited to only men

The sample cannot be used to examine different gender or ethnic groups.

Question 22

Fill in the blank: The guards were instructed to do whatever they thought was necessary to maintain _______.

Answer 22

law and order

Question 23

True or False: The prisoners were blindfolded and transported to the basement after being arrested.

Answer 23

True

Question 24

What did Zimbardo do in addition to observing the behavior of the participants?

Answer 24

Acted as a prison warden

This dual role allowed him to closely monitor the experiment.