Zimbardo's prison experiment-social influence

Question 1

Sample

Answer 1

21 male students
considered mentally and physically stable

Question 2

how many guards and how many prisoners

Answer 2

10 guards
11 prisoners

Question 3

how were the prisoners dehumanised

Answer 3

made to wear numbered smocks, nylon caps and chain around one ankle

Question 4

how were the guards given anonymity and encouraged into the role

Answer 4

khaki uniforms, reflective sunglasses that prevented eye contact
issued handcuffs, keys and trenches - BUT apparently physical abuse wasn’t permitted (absolute bs but go on)

Question 5

how long was the study intended to last vs how long it lasted and why

Answer 5

intended to last 2 weeks but terminated 6 days in since it was inhumane and ‘prisoners’ were having adverse reactions

Question 6

how long until the first ‘prisoner’ was released

Answer 6

36 hrs because of fits of crying and rage

Question 7

what did guards and prisoners say about their behaviour in post-experimental interviews

Answer 7

said they were surprised at the uncharacteristic behaviours they had shown

Question 8

What did Zimbardo conclude the participant’s behaviour was due to

Answer 8

situational factors instead of dispositional
-> individuals readily conform to the social roles that were demanded by the situation, these roles only existed as long as the prisoners were in the prison setting

Question 9

how much were participants paid per day

Answer 9

$15 a day

Question 10

contradictions to Zimbardo’s conclusions

Answer 10

Reicher and Haslam (2006)
-participants did not conform when the investigators did not encourage violence
SIT- social identity theory=» once someone identifies with a group they adopt that identity and its norms/values and behaviours—> shared social identity
-Fromm in 1973 criticised Zimbardo for overstating. Only one third of guards behaved brutally, the rest resisted situational influences and actually acted with sympathy (eg. giving cigarettes and reinstating privileges to prisoners)

Question 11

Evaluation of Zimbardo’s SPE

Answer 11

S
+Applicable, can be used to explain behaviour of guards such as those of Abu Ghraib

+Lab experiment- controlled

W
-not generalisable

-lack of ecological validity- low mundane realism (in the basement of Stanford university - behaviour was based on expectations)
BUT 90% of the prisoners’ private conversations, which were monitored by the researchers, were on the prison conditions, and only 10% of the time were their conversations about life outside of the prison.

-Demand characteristics- Zimbardo encouraged violent behaviours

-volunteer sample- attracted a certain type of people- volunteers for the prison study, compared to the control group, scored significantly higher on aggressiveness, authoritarianism, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and social dominance. They scored significantly lower on empathy and altruism.

-unethical- ppts put under psychological stress
confidentiality-family and neighbours saw them be publicly arrested causing embarrassment