Zimbardo (AO3)

Question 1

what is a strength of zimbardo’s research?

Answer 1

• they were randomly assigned
• made sure they were emotionally stable
• this increases the internal validity of the study
• can be more confident in drawing conclusions about the influence of social roles on behaviour

Question 2

what is internal validity?

Answer 2

• the extent to which a study establishes a trustworthy cause-and-effect relationship between a treatment and an outcome

Question 3

what is a drawback of zimbardo’s research?

Answer 3

-there are ethical issues

Question 4

what are the ethical issues of zimbardo’s research?

Answer 4

• it was unfair to put an innocent person’s mental state at risk
• guards humiliated the prisoners
• the prisoners dint have the right to leave or withdraw
• caused psychological damage to the prisoners (repeatedly saying things, rocking, starving themselves)
• this can damage the reputation of psychology

Question 5

what is a positive of zimbardo?

Answer 5

• about 1/3 behaved in a brutal manner
• another 1/3 were keen on applying rules fairly
• the rest tried helping and supporting the prsioners
• this showed the participants conformed to their social roles