Zimbardo's Research: Conformity to Social Roles

Question 1

Aims of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 1

to test 2 hypotheses:

• how strongly people conformed to social roles (guard,prisoner)
• the dispositional hypothesis (did the guards have extreme personality types?)

Question 2

Procedure: Participants

Answer 2

75 volunteers answered an ad in a local newspaper + were interviewed/given personality tests to eliminate any with psych problems or a history of crime

24 white male undergraduates were chosen + paid $15 a day

Question 3

Procedure: The Prison

Answer 3

simulated prison built in the basement of stanford university, USA
3 cells (6x9ft) - held 3 prisoners each
solitary confinement (2x2x7ft) - an unlit room across from the cells

Question 4

Procedure: The Arrests

Answer 4

prisoners were treated like real criminals - arrested at their homes, handcuffed, taken away in a police car
+ taken to a real police station where they were fingerprinted, ‘booked’, blindfolded,
+ then taken to the fake prison
when prisoners arrived they were stripped naked, deloused, possessions take away - degrading them

Question 5

Procedure: Guards (vs. prisoners)

Answer 5

wore khaki uniforms + a whistle around their necks + a baton on their side

also wore reflective sunglasses even indoors to avoid eye contact w prisoners

Question 6

Procedure: (guards vs.) Prisoners

Answer 6

were given ID numbers + upon entry always referred to by their numbers not their name
+ wore smocks w no underclothes + a tight nylon cap to cover their hair + a chain tied around their ankle

Question 7

Findings: Day 1

Answer 7

Establishing Authority -
within the first few hours the guards began to harass prisoners, prisoners were insulted and forced to do push ups

prisoners started taking rules very seriously + would snitch

Question 8

Findings: Day 2

Answer 8

The Rebellion -
sick of the harsh treatment the prisoners removed their caps, numbers and barricaded their cell doors with their beds

the guards broke in, stripped the prisoners naked, removed their beds and the ringleaders were placed in solitary confinement

Question 9

Findings: After the Rebellion

Answer 9

the guards became more aggressive and assertive - harassing prisoners by forcing them to do menial, repetitive work

obedient prisoners were given special privileges - to break solidarity between prisoners

the prisoners became institutionalised very quickly and began to react passively, feeling helpless and no longer in control of their own lives

Question 10

Findings: Prisoner _ _ _ _

Answer 10

8612

less than 36 hours in started suffering emotional disturbances, uncontrollable crying and rage
asked to meet with guards who called him ‘weak’
returned to his cell telling the others that “you cant leave, you cant quit”
began to start acting ‘crazy’ - screaming, cursing, raging

psychologists released him from the prison

Question 11

Findings: Prisoner _ _ _

Answer 11

819

broke down speaking to a visiting priest, crying hysterically
psychologists intervened, took off his chain and cap, placing him in a quiet room
he overheard the guards making the other prisoners chant “prisoner 819 is a bad prisoner”

the psychologists returned to find him sobbing hysterically, they tried to get him to agree to leave but he said he couldn’t because the others labelled him a bad prisoner

Question 12

Findings: Day 6

Answer 12

Zimbardo intended for the experiment to last 2 weeks but it was terminated on day 6 due to the emotional breakdowns of the prisoners and excessive aggression displayed by the guards

Christina Maslach, a PhD student at Harvard who came in to conduct interviews with the ppts convinced Z to end the experiment bc of the abuse she saw

out of 50 or so visitors she was the only one to object

Question 13

Conclusions

Answer 13

guards, prisoners, researchers all quickly + extremely conformed to their social roles - even Z as the superintendent

Z rejected the dispositional hypothesis + instead believed in the power of the situation to shape and change people’s behaviour

Question 14

Key Terms: Deindividuation

Answer 14

loss of personal identity - helps with conformity to social roles

helped by the fact prisoners were referred to as ID numbers + guards wore reflective sunglasses

Question 15

Key Terms: Pathological Prisoner Syndrome

Answer 15

prisoners experiencing loss of motivation + extreme sadness as a result of their inescapable situation

Question 16

Key Terms: Dispositional Hypothesis

Answer 16

refers to the idea that people’s personality makes them who they are

Z disagreed with this and said it was the situation instead

Question 17

Ethical Considerations: Informed Consent & Deception

Answer 17

✓ some deception was necessary for the study

✕ but as ppts were deceived they were unable to give fully informed consent

Question 18

Ethical Considerations: Briefing & Debriefing

Answer 18

✓ ppts were debriefed and completed follow up questionnaires

✕ ppts were unable to be fully briefed before as some deception was necessary

Question 19

Ethical Considerations: Protection from Harm

Answer 19

✓ ppts were psychologically assessed prior to taking part in the study + given follow up questionnaires after the study

✕ but they should have anticipated the psychological distress of the ppts during the experiment

Question 20

Ethical Considerations: Right to Withdraw

Answer 20

✓ one ppt did withdraw - Prisoner 8612

✕ Z didn’t uphold the ppt’s right to withdraw - Prisoner 819