Zimbardo's Research

Question 1

What key piece of research was conducted in 1973?

Answer 1

Zimbardo’s investigation into conformity to social roles known as the Stanford prison experiment

Question 2

What was the aim of zimbardo’s study?

Answer 2

Zimbardo wanted to investigate how people would conform to the social roles of guard and prisoner in a role-playing exercises that simulated prison life

Question 3

What was the procedure for zimbardo’s investigation?

Answer 3

Researchers advertised for students to fill the roles and then selected those deemed emotionally stable after psychological testing the students were assigned the roles of guards or prisoners the prisoners were blindfolded strip searched and if you didn’t uniform number upon arrival the guards were instructed to run the prison without using physical violence for two weeks

Question 4

How were the social roles of the guards and prisoners divided?

Answer 4

Prisoners daily routines were heavily regulated it was 16 rules enforced by guards the prisoners were only ever referred to you using numbers and guards had uniforms including mirror sunglasses

Question 5

What were the findings of zimbardo’s study?

Answer 5

Prisoners and guards quickly identified with their social roles, within two days prisoners rebelled and the guards repressed this, the study had to be terminated after just 6 days due to health and safety issues, all the guards prisoners and researchers had conformed to their social roles

Question 6

What are the evaluation points for zimbardo’s study?

Answer 6

Zimbardo and his colleagues had relatively good control over the variables
Zimbardo study still lacked realism
There was several major ethical issues with the Stanford prison experiment
Zimbardo’s study has a rack of research report and even contradicted by a subsequent study in which the prisoners took control and subjected the guards to harassment and disobedience