conformity to social roles

• Who conducted the Stanford prison experiment?

  Philip Zimbardo and colleagues
• What was the main purpose of Zimbardo's research?

  To investigate whether prison guards' brutality was due to sadistic personalities or social roles
• What was set up for the Stanford prison experiment?

  • A mock prison in the basement of Stanford University
  • 21 emotionally stable male student volunteers
  • Random assignment to roles of prison guard or prisoner
• How many men participated in the Stanford prison experiment?

  21 men
• How were the roles of guards and prisoners assigned in the experiment?

  They were randomly assigned
• What were the uniforms worn by prisoners and guards in the experiment?

  • Prisoners: loose smock, cap, identified by number
  • Guards: uniform reflecting status, wooden club, handcuffs, mirror shades
• What psychological effect did the uniforms have on participants?

  They created a loss of personal identity, leading to de-individuation
• How were prisoners encouraged to identify with their roles?

  By applying for parole instead of leaving the study early
• What power did the guards have over the prisoners?

  They had complete power over the prisoners
• What were the findings related to the behavior of guards and prisoners?

  • Guards treated prisoners harshly and took their roles enthusiastically
  • Prisoners rebelled within two days
  • Guards used divide-and-rule tactics and harassed prisoners
  • Prisoners became subdued, depressed, and anxious
• What actions did the guards take to maintain control over the prisoners?

  They conducted frequent headcounts and enforced rules
• What happened to one prisoner who showed symptoms of psychological disturbance?

  He was released from the study
• What extreme action did one prisoner take during the experiment?

  He went on a hunger strike
• How did the guards' behavior change over the course of the experiment?

  It became increasingly brutal and aggressive
• How long did Zimbardo originally intend for the study to last?

  14 days
• Why did Zimbardo end the study early?

  Due to the extreme behavior exhibited by the guards
• What is the influence of social roles on individuals' behavior?

  Social roles have a strong influence on individuals' behavior.
• How did the guards and prisoners behave in the study?

  The guards became brutal and the prisoners became submissive.
• How easily did participants take on their assigned social roles?

  Participants easily took on their assigned social roles.
• What behavior did volunteers, such as the 'prison chaplain', exhibit during the study?

  They behaved as if they were in a prison rather than in a psychological study.
• What are the conclusions related to social roles from the study?

  • Social roles strongly influence behavior.
  • Guards exhibited brutality.
  • Prisoners displayed submissiveness.
  • Roles were easily adopted by participants.
• What concept is related to the conclusions drawn from the study?

  The concepts related to Abu Ghraib are applicable.
• What is one strength of the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE)?

  Zimbardo and his colleagues had control over key variables.
• How did the selection of participants contribute to the SPE's internal validity?

  Emotionally-stable individuals were chosen and randomly assigned to roles.
• What does the random assignment of participants in the SPE help to rule out?

  Individual personality differences as an explanation of the findings.
• What does a high degree of control over variables in a study increase?

  The internal validity of the study.
• What is one limitation of the SPE regarding realism?

  It did not have the realism of a true prison.
• What did Banuazizi and Movahedi argue about the participants' behavior in the SPE?

  Participants were merely play-acting rather than genuinely conforming to a role.
• How did the guards' behavior in the SPE reflect stereotypes?

  One guard based his role on a brutal character from the film Cool Hand Luke.
• What did the prisoners believe about their behavior during the riot?

  They thought that rioting was what real prisoners did.
• What counterpoint does Mark McDermott present regarding the realism of the SPE?

  Participants behaved as if the prison was real to them.
• What percentage of the prisoners' conversations were about prison life?

  90%
• How did "Prisoner 416" perceive the SPE?

  He believed the prison was real but run by psychologists.
• What is another limitation of the SPE regarding the power of social roles?

  Zimbardo may have exaggerated the power of social roles to influence behavior.
• What did Fromm (1973) suggest about the behavior of the guards in the SPE?

  Only one-third of the guards behaved in a brutal manner.
• What did the other two-thirds of the guards do during the SPE?

  They tried to apply the rules fairly or helped and supported the prisoners.
• What does the behavior of most guards in the SPE suggest about Zimbardo's conclusions?

  Zimbardo overstated his view that participants were conforming to social roles.
• What did Zimbardo minimize in his conclusions about the SPE?

  The influence of dispositional factors on behavior.