Zimbardo Evaluation Flashcards
Name the 4 points on evaluation
Lacking validity (artificial setting)
Conducted in controlled environment + control over variables
Ethically questionable
Exaggeration of situational influences
Lacking validity (explain)
Eg: participants placed in unfamiliar artificial setting, expecting carry out task
Lacking validity (expand)
Prisoners knew weren’t actually prisoners
Criticised participants simply ‘playing the game’
Lacking validity (link)
It’s a weakness bc
Not reflective on participants real life behaviour
Zimbardo’s findings cannot be generalised due to artificial setting
Conducted in controlled environment + control over variables (explain)
Selection of participants - mentally stable
Roles allocated randomly (coin flip)
Conducted in controlled environment + control over variables (expand)
A way Zimbardo tried to rule out individual personalities + differences as an explanation for his findings
Conducted in controlled environment + control over variables (link)
Strength because controlled environment increases internal validity
Ethically questionable (explain)
Participants given informed consent BUT not told they be arrested at houses
Were not deceived, given right to withdraw
HOWEVER subjected to fairly severe physical/psychological harm
Ethically questionable (expand)
Participants many feel embarrassed of fake arrest
Ethically questionable (link)
Weakness because important that participants are protected
Not to be harmed physically and or mentally
Leave experiment in stable state
Exaggeration of situational factors (explain)
Erich Fromm criticised this…
Observed only minority of guards behaved tyrannically
Exaggeration of situational factors (expand)
Rest of them applied to rules fairly
Some every tried help + sympathise w/ prisoners
Exaggeration of situational factors (link)
Observations suggest Zimbardo’s findings were exaggerated
What was Zimbardo’s conclusion?
Guards and prisoners conformed to their social roles due to situational factors
