conformity: zimbardo's research Flashcards
(26 cards)
where did the experiment take place?
basement of psychology department at Stanford University
name 3 things about Zimbardo’s sample
all male (androcentric)
all American (ethnocentric)
all students
how were students assigned to roles?
randomly assigned
true or false?
this is a controlled observation, NOT an experiment
true
what did Zimbardo do to heighten the realism?
~ ‘prisoners’ were arrested in their own homes + delivered to the prison in police cars
~ they were blindfolded, strip-searched, deloused, issued a uniform + number
name 3 elements of the guards’ uniforms
~ wooden club
~ handcuffs
~ mirror shades
what did the uniforms create a loss of?
identity/individuality - deindividuation
on what day was the study stopped?
6 of 14
why was the study stopped?
guards’ behaviour became a threat to prisoners’ physical + psychological health
why did the guards’ behaviour become more brutal + aggressive?
they seemed to identify more with their role + conform to their social roles of stereotypically ‘sadistic’ police guards
what did guards do to remind prisoners that were constantly being watched?
harassed them constantly
e.g. deciding when they could go to the toilet, calling out numbers in the middle of the night
what did prisoners do to rebel?
ripped uniforms + swore at the guards
why was one prisoner released on the first day?
he showed signs of psychological disturbance
how did only ONE prisoner rebel?
~ he went on hunger strike
~ guards attempted to force-feed him + then punished him by putting him in ‘the hole’ (tiny dark closet)
state one conclusion of the study
the power of a situation can significantly influence people’s behaviour
guards, prisoners + researchers all conformed to their roles
name one strength of this study
high control
what does high control increase?
increases internal validity, therefore conclusions are likely to be more accurate
how can individual personality differences be ruled out as an explanation for results?
participants were randomly assigned to role of guard/prisoner
therefore behaviour must be due to pressures of the situation, not personality
name 2 limitations of this study
lack of research support
ethical issues
role of dispositional influences
lack of realism
why does the study have a lack of realism?
~ performances were based on stereotypes of how prisoners + guards are supposed to behave
~ some researchers argue that participants were play-acting rather than genuinely conforming
what is a counterpoint for ‘lack of realism’?
~ quantitative data showed that 90% of prisoner conversations were about prison life
~ suggests that situation seemed real to participants , therefore there is higher internal validity
who replicated this study?
Reicher + Haslam at the BBC
what was different about the ‘BBC Prison Study’ compared to the original?
prisoners took control rather than the guards because the guards failed to develop a shared social identity, unlike the prisoners
name 2 ethical issues with this study
~ psychological harm - prisoners were abused by guards; strip-searched; arrested in homes in front of the neighbours etc.
~ Zimbardo’s dual roles - he was head researcher but also chief superintendent of the ‘prison’ - one prisoner who wanted to leave the study spoke to Zimbardo as a prison guard, not a moral researcher
