Conformity to social rules

Question 1

What is social roles?

Answer 1

The parts people play as members of vicarious social groups. Everyday examples include parents, child, student and passenger. They have roles such as caring

Question 2

Why did Zimbardo conduct his research?

Answer 2

• Zimbardo conducted one of the most memorable studies in psychology.
• There had been many prison riots and zimbardo wanted to know why gueards behaved brutally. Was it because of personality or social rules.

Question 3

Explain the Stanford Prison experiment?

Answer 3

• Zimbardo set up a mock prison experiment in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford.
• They selected 21 men who were emotionally stable.
• They were assigned jobs of a guard or prisoner. They were both encouraged to conform wearing their uniform
• Prisoners were identified by numbers.
• Uniforms created a loss of personal identity (de-individualisation)

Question 4

Explain findings related to social rules?

Answer 4

• Guards took up their roles with enthusiasm treating prisoners harshly. 2 days prisoner rebelled and they shouted and swore at guards. They retaliated with fire extinguishers.
• They harassed prisoners repeatedly and made them do frequent head counts.
• After rebellion was down prisoners became subdued and anxious.
• One was released because they showed signs of psychological disturbance.
• One prisoner went on a hunger strike and they punished him y putting him in the hole.
• Guards identified more with their role.
• Zimbardo ended experiment 6 days after not 14.

Question 5

Explain conclusions related to social rules?

Answer 5

The social rules have a strong influence on individuals behaviour. Guards became brutal and prisoners were submissive. Every role even the prison Chaplin were using social rules.

Question 6

Evaluate one strength of the SPE?

Answer 6

• Zimbardo and his colleagues had control over the variables.
• An example of this was individuals were chosen at random of the roles. they ruled out individual personal differences.
• If guards and prisoners behaved differently but were in those roles by chance then its due to the role itself.
• Because they had control this increased the internal validity.

Question 7

Whats one limitation of SPE?

Answer 7

• Did not have the realism of a true prison. Ali and Siamk said they were play acting to steryotypes rather than conforming.
• One of the guards said they based their role on Cool hand Luke and explains why people rioted as they thought this was what prisoners done.
• This tells us little about conformity

Question 8

Explain another limitation of SPE?

Answer 8

Zimbardo exaggerated the power of social roles to influence behaviour.
- Only one third of guards acted brutally. Another third applied the rules fairly. And another third tried to support them by offering them cigarettes.
- Most guards were able to resist to conformity