3 - Conformity To Social Roles: Zimbardo's Research

Question 1

What is the name of Zimbardo’s research?

Answer 1

The Stanford Prison Experiment

Question 2

When was Zimbardo’s research?

Answer 2

August 1971

Question 3

Where was Zimbardo’s research?

Answer 3

Stanford Uni (basement of psych dep.)

Question 4

What are ‘social roles’?

Answer 4

‘Parts’ people play in everyday life, as members of different social groups - each part has a behavioural expectation

Question 5

What was the aim of Zimbardo’s research?

Answer 5

To investigate the extent to which our behaviour conforms to the expected social role in a situation

Question 6

What was the sample?

Answer 6

24 male, middle class students 
(Interviewed + psychologically tested to ensure ‘emotional stability’)

Question 7

What was the sample type?

Answer 7

Selected from a volunteer sample (replied to newspaper ad offering $15 per day for 2 weeks in experiment)

Question 8

What was the experimental design?

Answer 8

Independent groups

Question 9

How were individual differences in the sample limited?

Answer 9

• All psychologically tested

- Assigned to condition (guard or prisoner) using random allocation

Question 10

Were the participants deceived?

Answer 10

No - informed about all aspects of experiment

Question 11

What type of experiment was it?

Answer 11

Lab experiment

Question 12

What is de-individuation?

Answer 12

Removing sense of personal identity (happened to both guards + prisoners)

Question 13

What two things helped with de-individuation?

Answer 13

• Removing names

- Wearing uniforms

Question 14

Describe properties of prisoners

Answer 14

• Arrested at home, blindfolded + brought to unknown location
• Stripped + deloused
• Given uniform: dress, bald cap
• Given number instead of name
• Given 16 rules to follow

Question 15

Describe properties of guards

Answer 15

• Given uniform: khaki, wooden club, handcuffs, keys, mirror shades
• Given complete power over prisoners, apart from no physical violence

Question 16

How many guards were together in the same shift?

Answer 16

3

Question 17

How many prisoners + guards were there?

Answer 17

9 + 3 alternates (of each)

Question 18

Describe the prison

Answer 18

• Basement of Stanford Uni psych dep.
• Cells: office rooms with prison doors, only containing 3 beds (no windows, no clocks)
• ‘The hole’: cupboard used as solitary confinement

Question 19

Outline the events of the experiment, day by day

Answer 19

1:
- Roles given + experiment started
- Uneventful
2:
- Prisoners rebellion: ripped uniforms, swore at guards
- Guards shut down rebellion with fire extinguishers
- Prisoners became subdued, one becoming so depressed he went to Zimbardo (returned spreading panic, thought he couldn’t leave)
3:
- One prisoner went on a hunger strike + put in ‘hole’
- Guards harassment of prisoners continues + situation worsens
4:
- One prisoner had an individual rebellion
- Guards punished his rebellion by forcing group to isolate him
- Guards harassment of prisoners continues + situation worsens
5:
- Zimbardo’s wife visits prison + stressed the psychological harm prisoners were suffering from
6:
- Zimbardo ends experiment early

Question 20

How long was the experiment supposed to last?

Answer 20

14 days

Question 21

How long did the experiment last?

Answer 21

6 days

Question 22

How many prisoners had to leave the experiment due to psychological harm?

Answer 22

3

Question 23

What was the conclusion of the experiment?

Answer 23

Guards, prisoners (+ even researchers) all conformed to their social roles within the prison + underwent de-individuation

• Guards became increasingly sadistic, showing ‘pathology of power’
• Prisoners became increasingly depressed + passive

Question 24

What is ‘pathology of power’?

Answer 24

Term used to describe the enjoyment the guards felt in being given power over the prisoners

Question 25

What is an example of the guards wielding their power over the prisoners?

Answer 25

Conducting frequent head-counts at all hours of the night

Question 26

Give 1 positive evaluation point for the Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 26

Methodology controlled variables

• Psychologically tested individuals
• Assigned roles due to random allocation
• Increased internal validity, ensuring behaviour not affected by individual differences

Question 27

Give 3 negative evaluation points for the Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 27

Research support is lacking

• Reicher + Haslam (2006) replicated it for BBC
• Experiment randomly allocated 15 ppts, who participated for 8 days
• Findings did not support Zimbardo, as prisoners rose up against guards

Alternative explanation

• Tajfel (1981) proposed the social identity theory
• (Behaviour motivated by social identity + how much you identify with your social group)
• Can be used to explain BBC study (prisoners had a greater shared social identity) + Zimbardo study (guards had greater shared social identity)

Ethical issues

• Although argued it wouldn’t be long term, ppts not protected from harm
• Zimbardo wasn’t able to fulfill role of objectively protecting ppts, as he was acting as prison superintendent + researcher

Question 28

What two roles was Zimbardo playing?

Answer 28

Prison superintendent + lead researcher

Question 29

Who has argued that Zimbardo over exaggerated his results? (That conformity to social roles in the experiment wasn’t as high as he claimed)?

Answer 29

Fromm (1973) 
- 1/3 guards acted brutally 
- 1/3 guards enforced rules fairly 
- 1/3 guards supported prisoners 
Clearly not all guards conformed to social roles - other factors (like dispositional factors) have impact