Zimbardo Flashcards
(6 cards)
How long did Zimbardo’s study last?
6 days, stopped due to deteriorating state of the prisoners.
What did Zimbardo find?
The prisoners and guards conformed to their correct social roles, based on stereotypes, guards became aggressive and enforced rules to humiliate prisoners, whereas they became passive experiencing mental distress.
How is Zimbardo’s control over variables a strength?
He had control over ppts by random allocation which ensured individual differences did not affect the results of the experiment.
Why did Zimbardo’s research have mundane realism?
The prisoners talked about prison life, however guards talked about problematic prisoners, showing the immersion they had into their roles.
What were the ethical problems shown in Zimbardo’s research?
Informed consent was not covering all asepects of what the prisoners could go through, eg, arrests at night. They also had a right to withdrawal but Zimbardo would encourage prisoners to stay by using routines to make this difficult.
Why is it bad if ppts acted due to demand characteristics?
They may have been able to guess the aim and act accordingly due to the stereotypes they’ve been shown. If so, this lowers the validity of the conformity to their roles.
