Confomrity to Social Roles

Question 1

What is a social role

Answer 1

• behaviours expected of someone who has a given social position of status

Question 2

What is conformity to social roles

Answer 2

The extent to which people behave in the expected manner of their social role

Question 3

Outline Zimbardos prison study

Answer 3

Observational study
24 males interviews to ensure they don’t know mental of physical health problems.
-coin toss to be prisoner or guard
-prisoners taken from home by police (didn’t know) were blindfolded, striped, searched, wore smoks without underwear, had to ask to go to toilet, woken up in the middle of the night, put into solitary confinement, made to do push-ups by the guards and were given a number which caused them to suffer de-individualisation.
Guards- wore khaki outfits, glasses, had wooden batons.

Prisoners became depressed and anxious (3 left)
Study had to finish early due to ethical issues

Question 4

Conclusion and evaluation of zimbardos prison study

Answer 4

Conclusion- people conform to the social roles they’re expected to play and it shapes their attitudes and behaviours due to DEINDIVIDUALISATIONGood people can do bad things if out into a bad situation.

Evaluation-

X-ethical issues- not given fully informed consent = harm and right to withdraw made very hard and psychological harm, humiliation and distress
X- could be showing demand characteristics for what they think the study wants them to do.
❌- beta bias - ignored potential differences between men and women, who could conform differently to social roles.
❌- lack ecological validity
✔️- shows environment influences behaviour and the roles people play shape their behaviour
✅- control experiment everything filmed and recorded