Zimbardo’s Study Flashcards
When was it conducted?
1973
Aim:
Wanted to see how people would conform to a social role
What kind of sampling was used?
- volunteer sampling
- an advert in the newspaper for “$15 per day for uni students to come and take part
- 70 people applied, all white, American and the same age
Where did it take place?
In a converted basement at Stamford University
How were candidates screened?
- by an interview and a personality test- tried to get somewhat normal people- no criminal record, no previous use of narcotics, no personality disorders, no physical disabilities
Findings:
Within a very short time, both guards and prisoners were settling into their new roles, with the guards adapting to theirs quickly and easily
What happened in the experiment?
Went extremely wrong- guards conformed too greatly and the experiment ended early- Zimbardo’s GF Christina Maslach said he was crazy and shut it down after 6 days (was meant to last 2 weeks)
What happened to prisoner 416?
Stripped naked and shut in solitary confinement for hours, he began suffering genuine distress after 36 hours and got released early due to a developing case of psychosis
Why is random allocation of roles a pro?
Removes any researcher bias
(PRO) The environment was carefully thought out, what does this mean?
- High mundane realism- highly valid
(PRO) where can we see application to real life?
- Prisons
- Iraq war- Abu Ghraib
Why is the fact that Zimbardo had info on participants personalities a con?
May have skewed the group- resulting in generalisability
(CON) demand characteristics example:
One of the guards confessed to demand characteristics- Cool Hand Luke
(CON) all participants were….
White, American, male
- gender bias
- lacks ecological validity
- lacks generalisability
(CON) what ethics were broken?
- no informed consent
- no idea what they were getting themselves into
- no protection of participants from physical (starvation) or psychological harm
