Social Influence - Zimbardo (1973) Flashcards
(14 cards)
What was the procedure of Zimbardo’s experiment- conformity to social roles?
Set up mock prison in Stanford University. 21 male student volunteers. Randomly assigned role of prisoner or guard.
What was the findings of Zimbardo’s experiment- conformity to social roles?
Guards treated prisoners poorly, after two days they rebelled.
Some went on hunger strike, had manic episodes. Ended at day 6 instead of 15.
What are some strengths of Zimbardo?
Made sure participants involved were vetted for their emotional stability.
Practical applications for prison systems etc.
What are some limitations of Zimbardo?
Ethics, demand characteristics, lack of replication, male sample, small sample, lack of realism.
day 1
24 emotionally stable male students (volunteers) randomly assigned guard of prisoner. arrested at home.
day 2
prisoners rebelled. guards used fire extinguishers to break up rebellion.
day 3
prisoner #8612 showed psychlogical ditress and was released
day 4
two more prisoners were released. one went on hungers triek and was force fed and then locked in a dark closet
day 5
guards became increasingly sadistic. prisoners became emotionally detached
day 6
his gf (a fellow researcher) questioned the ethics. endded the study instead of going to 16 days
McDermott (2019)
found 90% of interactions were on prison life. #416 admitted to believeing it was real
HOWEVER: demand characteristics
Banuazizi and Movahedi (1975)
behaviour was based on stereotypes (identification)
lacks internal validity
HOWEVER: McDermott (2019)
Fromm (1973)
1/3 of guards were brutal, 1/3 were just, 1/3 were kind.
Reicher and Haslam (2006)
did BBC prison study found guards only became brutal if they strongly identified with their role
supports social identity theory
