Briefly discuss two criticisms of Zimbardo's research into conformity to social roles. (Total 4 marks)

Model Answer:

One criticism of Zimbardo’s research is its ethical issues. (Point) This is because participants were not adequately protected from psychological harm, with some experiencing extreme stress and humiliation during the study. (Because) This is problematic because it breaches ethical guidelines, raising concerns about the treatment of participants in psychological research. (Why)

Another criticism is the lack of ecological validity. (Point) This is because the mock prison environment was an artificial setting that did not fully replicate the complexity of real-life prisons. (Because) This limits the generalisability of the findings, as behaviour observed in such an artificial setting may not reflect behaviour in real-world situations. (Why)