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

1. Zimbardo’s study supports determinism as participants conformed to their roles even when it led to harmful behaviour.

2. Not all guards were abusive, suggesting individual differences and free will played a role.

3. Controlled conditions, standardised procedures, and random allocation increased scientific rigour.

4. Major ethical issues included psychological harm and lack of full informed consent.

5. Findings have been applied to understanding prison behaviour and authority structures.

6. It is reductionist because it focuses only on situational factors, ignoring personality differences.

Checking Your Understanding Task - Answers

1. B) Social roles strongly influence behaviour

2. B) Psychological harm to participants

3. C) It only considers situational factors and ignores individual differences

4. A) Explaining prison violence

5. B) It introduced bias as he was both researcher and prison superintendent