Zimbardo Stanford prison experiment (1971)

Question 1

aims

Answer 1

• To test the dispositional versus the situational hypothesis. Are prison guards violent because they have violent personalities, or do their roles make them behave that way?

Question 2

procedure

Answer 2

• The study used a sample of 21 male student volunteers who were all rated as being psychologically stable
• Participants were randomly assigned to the role of either prisoner or guard. Zimbardo played the role of prison superintendent
• The study took place in the basement of Stanford University, which was converted into a mock prison
- They were dehumanised by wearing a loose fitting smock, a nylon stocking cap (to emulate a shaven head) and were referred to by number rather than name.
- Guards were deindividuated by wearing a uniform, reflective sunglasses and being referred to only as ‘Mr. Correctional Officer’
• The guards were told to keep the prisoners in line, but other than that, no specific instructions were given about how each group should behave. No physical violence was allowed.

Question 3

findings

Answer 3

• Within a day the prisoners had rebelled and ripped off their numbers. The guards responded by locking them in their cells and taking away their blankets

• Prisoners were humiliated, deprived of sleep, made to carry out demeaning tasks (such as cleaning the toilets with their bare hands).
• • The study was called to a halt after six days due to the unforeseen effects on the prisoners

Question 4

conclusions

Answer 4

study supports the situational hypothesis, rather than the dispositional hypothesis. This is because participants adopted the behaviour associated with the role they were assigned, even though those roles were randomly determined, and no psychological abnormality was found to be present in the participants before the study began

Question 5

evaluation point

Answer 5

• Zimbardo has been criticised for not accurately assessing the potential impact on his participants, and failing to call a halt to the procedure soon enough when it became clear that some of those taking part were experiencing psychological harm

Question 6

eval point

Answer 6

Lab experiment -
• Zimbardo’s involvement in the procedure of the study could have had an influence on the behaviour of the participants. He could have unknowingly cued them to behave in a particular way (investigator effects).
- The artificiality of the situation could have led to demand characteristics being displayed