Cover Lesson- Conformity to social roles as investigated by Zimbardo

Do It Now Task - Answers

1.) Haney et al. (1973) (Aims, Procedures, Findings, and Conclusions)

• Aims: To investigate how individuals conform to the social roles of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison environment.

• Procedures: 24 male university students were recruited, randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners, and placed in a mock prison in the basement of Stanford University. The guards were given uniforms and instructed to maintain order, while the prisoners were stripped of personal identity and given numbers. The experiment was planned to last two weeks but was stopped after six days.

• Findings: The guards became increasingly abusive, while prisoners became submissive, experiencing emotional distress. The study showed how situational factors could lead people to conform to extreme social roles.

• Conclusions: People conform to social roles based on situational pressures rather than personal disposition.

2.) Social Roles – Expected patterns of behaviour associated with particular social positions, such as being a prisoner or guard.

 

Main Task - Answers

1. What was the aim of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment?

   • To investigate whether individuals conform to the roles of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison environment.

2. How were participants selected and assigned their roles in the study?

   • Participants were selected through a newspaper advertisement, screened for psychological stability, and randomly assigned to be either prisoners or guards.

3. Describe the key features of the prison environment created in the experiment.

   • The experiment took place in a simulated prison in the basement of Stanford University. Prisoners were stripped, given numbered smocks, and confined to small cells. Guards wore uniforms, sunglasses, and carried batons, establishing a strict power hierarchy.

4. What were the main findings regarding how the guards behaved towards the prisoners?

   • The guards became increasingly abusive, enforcing strict rules, humiliating prisoners, and subjecting them to psychological harm. Some guards exhibited sadistic behaviour.

5. What effects did the experiment have on the prisoners?

   • The prisoners became passive and depressed, some suffered emotional breakdowns, and one had to be removed after 36 hours due to severe distress.

6. Why was the study stopped early?

   • Due to the extreme emotional and psychological harm experienced by the participants, particularly the prisoners.

7. What conclusions did Zimbardo draw about the influence of social roles on behaviour?

   • The study demonstrated that situational factors, such as assigned roles and environment, significantly influence behaviour, sometimes leading people to act in ways they normally wouldn’t.

Challenge Task - Answers

1. Define social roles and explain how they influence behaviour.

   • Social roles are patterns of expected behaviour associated with specific positions in society. They influence behaviour by shaping how individuals act based on societal expectations.

2. Outline one strength and one weakness of Zimbardo’s research.

   • Strength: It provided insight into how social roles influence behaviour.

   • Weakness: The study lacked ethical considerations due to the psychological harm caused to participants.

3. Explain how Zimbardo’s findings can be applied to real-life situations.

   • The findings can help understand behaviour in prisons, military settings, and other hierarchical institutions where individuals adopt social roles that may encourage abusive behaviour.

Checking Your Understanding Task - Answers

1. B) To examine how individuals conform to social roles

2. C) Random allocation

3. C) 6 days

4. B) Protection from harm

5. B) Guards became aggressive, and prisoners became submissive

6. B) Extreme psychological distress among participants

7. C) It lacked ethical considerations

8. A) Understanding prison violence

9. B) Identification

10. B) Situational factors can strongly influence behaviour