SPE -conformity SI Flashcards
social roles
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the ‘parts’ people play as members of various social groups.
Examples of social roles in everyday life
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parent, child, passenger and student.
Zimbado’s volunteers
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24 emotionally stable American students - men
What is Zimbado’s’ experiment?
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A mock prison at stanford university to test why prison guards behave brutally?
- sadistic personality?
- social roles?
Instructions about behaviour in Zimbado’s experiment
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guards:
- reminded they had total power over the prisoners
- given 16 rules
prisoners:
- could apply for parole rather than leave the experiment
Uniform in Zimbado’s experiment
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guards:
- uniform, wooden club, handcuffs, mirrored shades
prisoners:
- loose smock, cap to cover hair, identified by number
more likely to conform to social roles with a uniform as de-individualisation
de- individualisation
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loss of personal identity
guards
findings related to social roles
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- Guards took up roles with enthusiasm
→ Prisoners were treated harshly - Within two days, prisoners rebelled
→ Ripped their uniform
→ swore and shouted at guards - Guards used ‘divide and rule’ tactics
→ harassed prisoners constantly eg frequent headcounts - Guards identified more with their role becoming increasingly brutal and appeared to enjoy the power
prisoners
findings related to social roles
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- Prisoners became subdued, anxious and depressed
- One was released because of psychological disturbance
- Two more released on the fourth day
- One went on hunger strike
→ guards attempted to force feed him - One was punished and put in ‘the hole’ (a tiny dark cupboard)
conclusions related to social roles
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- Social rules have a strong influence on behaviour
- Guards → brutal
- Prisoners → submissive
- Roles were easily taken on by participants
→ even volunteers like the ‘prison chaplain’
Therefore the findings support a situational explanation of behaviour (conformity) rather than a dispositional one.
social identity theory
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Being grouped leads to prejudice and discrimination through conformity
Categorisation
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you know what group you are in
identification
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you develop a shared identity and link your self esteem to that group
comparison
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you have to compare favourably to the other outgroup to protect your self esteem
strengths
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- High control over key variables
-His selection of participants - emotionally stable people
-Mcdermott
-Increased the internal validity
