Cover Lesson- Evaluation/Discussing Conformity to social roles as investigated by Zimbardo
Do It Now Task - Answers
1.) Determinism vs Free Will – Determinism suggests behaviour is shaped by external factors like social roles, while free will suggests people can make independent choices.
2.) Scientific Rigour – The degree to which a study is methodologically controlled, reliable, and replicable.
3.) Ethical Considerations – Guidelines ensuring the well-being of participants, such as avoiding harm and ensuring informed consent.
4.) Real-World Applications – Practical ways psychological research can be used to understand and improve real-life situations, such as in prisons. 5.) Reductionism vs Holism – Reductionism focuses on one factor (e.g., social roles), while holism considers multiple interacting influences.
Main Task - Answers
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Zimbardo’s study supports determinism as participants conformed to their roles even when it led to harmful behaviour.
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Not all guards were abusive, suggesting individual differences and free will played a role.
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Controlled conditions, standardised procedures, and random allocation increased scientific rigour.
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Major ethical issues included psychological harm and lack of full informed consent.
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Findings have been applied to understanding prison behaviour and authority structures.
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It is reductionist because it focuses only on situational factors, ignoring personality differences.
Checking Your Understanding Task - Answers
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B) Social roles strongly influence behaviour
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B) Psychological harm to participants
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C) It only considers situational factors and ignores individual differences
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A) Explaining prison violence
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B) It introduced bias as he was both researcher and prison superintendent