conformity to social roles Flashcards
(24 cards)
What are social norms?
Different social situations have different expectations for behaviour.
What do social norms give rise to?
give rise to social roles that people play according to the social situation.
Why do people conform to social roles?
People conform to social roles to behave correctly and appropriately in society.
What is an example of a social role as an employee?
In the role of employee, you are expected to show up on time and do your work.
What is an example of a social role as a customer?
In the role of customer in a shop, you are expected to pay for the items you buy.
What was the aim of the Stanford prison study?
how much people conform to the social roles of prisoners and guard in a prison situation.
How was the Stanford prison study conducted?
Zimbardo and his team converted the basement of the psychology department at Stanford University into a fake prison.
How many participants were selected for the Stanford prison study?
21 male students who were tested for mental stability and lack of antisocial tendencies.
How were participants divided in the Stanford prison study?
The 21 participants were randomly divided into two groups: 10 ‘guards’ and 11 ‘prisoners’.
What happened to the prisoners in the Stanford prison study?
Prisoners were arrested by real police and subjected to real police booking procedures, then confined in cells.
What was the guards’ routine in the Stanford prison study?
Guards worked in 8-hour shifts and referred to prisoners by their assigned numbers.
What did the prisoners wear in the Stanford prison study?
The prisoners wore prisoner javckets with numbers on them.
What did the guards wear in the Stanford prison study?
Guards wore khaki uniforms,
carried handcuffs and batons.
How long was the Stanford prison study scheduled to run?
The study was scheduled to run for 2 weeks.
What was a significant result of the Stanford prison study?
The guards became increasingly sadistic, punishing prisoners severely.
What happened to some prisoners during the Stanford prison study?
Some prisoners began to act out and had to be released due to extreme stress and emotional breakdowns.
How long did the Stanford prison study actually last?
The experiment was stopped after just 6 days instead of the scheduled 2 weeks.
What do the results of the Stanford prison study suggest?
The results suggest that people conform to social roles to a significant extent.
What did participants express in interviews after the Stanford prison study?
Both prisoners and guards expressed shock at how out-of-character their behaviour had become.
What hypothesis does the Stanford prison study support?
The study supports a situational hypothesis of behaviour over a dispositional one.
Did all participants conform to their roles in the Stanford prison study?
Not all participants conformed to their roles to the same extent; some guards did not exert control and some prisoners did not become submissive.
What does the variability in participant behaviour suggest?
suggests that while situational factors are important, individual dispositions also play a role in behaviour.
What has been challenged in studies designed to replicate Zimbardo’s work?
Some studies have challenged Zimbardo’s emphasis on social roles.
