Zimbardo-conformity to social rules

Question 1

what is the aim of this study?

Answer 1

-study effects of being assigned a certain role and how it effects conformity

Question 2

what was the procedure?

Answer 2

• patients saw advert
• had mental health test and randomly divided into roles
• prisoners arrested at homes, stripped, given uniform+number and 16 strict rules to follow
• guards given uniform+sunglasses told they had complete power over prisioners

Question 3

what were the findings for guards ?

Answer 3

• embodied roles immediately and started to identify more everyday
• guards used aggression
• harassed prisoners constantly
• Zimbardo was superintendent and lead experimenter

Question 4

what were the findings for prisoners?

Answer 4

• embodied roles immediately
• prisoners rebelled their roles immediately
• time went on they became more submissive
• signs of depression one left after 36 hours

Question 5

what were conclusions?

Answer 5

• environment has big influence on behaviour

- deindividualisation:no longer individual as they all conformed to their roles

Question 6

give evidence of deindividualisation in this study?

Answer 6

1. prisioners wore uniforms+ called by number giving them a sense of inferiority
2. wore sunglasses, stopped eye contact, making them superior

Question 7

what are the 3 evaluation points?

Answer 7

• demand characteristics
• ethical considerations
• conditions different to real prisoners

Question 8

evaluate demand characteristics

Answer 8

• knew they were observed in lab settings so may have been acting the role
• BUT brutality of guards was more extreme than expected
• very sadistic therefore they really conformed to roles

Question 9

evaluate ethical considerations

Answer 9

• criticised for putting pp’s in physical+psychological harm
• claims he stopped experiment when he realised it was dangerous +debriefed to minimise harm
• HOWEVER valuable -abugurab prison

Question 10

evaluate conditions different to other prisoners

Answer 10

• prisoners hadn’t committed crimes

- guards hadn’t worked 24 hours a day therefore different conditions

Question 11

why was study holistic?

Answer 11

-because he measured effects of conformity and de individualisation of prisoners looking at them as individuals

Question 12

definition of a social role?

Answer 12

• parts individuals play as members of a social group.

- involves identification as individual adjusts to social behaviour, both public and private.