Conformity to social roles as investigated by Zimbardo Flashcards
(10 cards)
What was the aim of the Stanford prison experiment(SPE)?
Zimbardo et al(1973)set up a mock prison in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford University to investigate effect of social roles on conformity.
What was the procedure of the SPE?
21 male student volunteers were selected by psychological testing that showed them to be emotionally stable, they were randomly allocated=guard or prisoner.
What were the two social roles in the SPE?
Guards-enforced rules and had uniform with handcuffs,they were told they had complete power over prisoners.
Prisoners-strip searched,given a uniform+number=encouraged de-individuation.Told they could leave but had to ask for parole.
What were some findings of SPE?
Guards played their role enthusiastically and treated prisoners harshly,prisoners rebelled in 2 days,ripping their uniforms,shouted and swore at guards.Guards retaliated with fire extinguishers and harassed prisoners with frequent headcounts even in the night.
How did the guards treat prisoners?
Guards behaviour
=threatened prisoners psychological and physical health. After the rebellion, prisoners were subdued, anxious and depressed.3 prisoners were released early=psychologically disturbed.1 prisoner went on hunger strike, guards tried to force feed him and punished him=put him in the “hole”; a tiny dark closet. Study was stopped after 6 days instead of 14.
What was the conclusion of the SPE?
Social roles powerfully influence behaviour=most conformed strongly to their role. Guards=brutal, prisoners=submissive. Other volunteers conformed easily to their roles in prison(eg chaplain)
Name one strength of variables of the SPE
Control over key variables-Emotionally -stable participants recruited + randomly allocated roles. Guards and prisoners had their roles by chance, their behaviour was due to their role, not their personalities. Control increased study’s internal validity, we have more confidence in drawing conclusions about the effect of social roles on conformity.
What’s one limitation of the prison used in the SPE?
Unrealistic prison -Banuazizi+Mohavedi(1975)said participants were play acting. Their actions matched stereotypes of how prisoners and guards behave. One Guard based his role on a character from a film. Prisoners rioted, they thought that’s what real prisoners do. This suggests the SPE tells us little about conformity to social roles in actual prisons.
What’s one strength of the roles used in the SPE?
Participants behaved as if the study was real,90% of conversations were about prison life. Prisoner 416 believed it was a prison run by psychologists. This suggests the SPE replicated roles of guards and prisoners just like in real prisons , increasing internal validity.
What’s a limitation about the power of roles in the SPE?
The influence of social roles on behaviour may have been exaggerated by Zimbardo in the SPE.1/3 of guards were brutal , 1/3 were fair with rules and 1/3 supported prisoners, offering them cigarettes and reinstating privileges. This suggests SPE exaggerates that the guards conformed to a brutal role.
