A03

• Point: A strength of the SPE is the researchers' control over key variables.

  Evidence: Zimbardo carefully selected emotionally-stable participants and randomly assigned them to guard and prisoner roles, ruling out individual personality differences as explanatory factors.

  Explain: This ensures that observed behaviours were likely due to the assigned roles rather than inherent traits

  Link: Therefore, this control over variables strengthens the credibility of conclusions drawn regarding the impact of roles on conformity, enhancing the study's internal validity.
• P: However, a :( of the SPE is its lack of realism compared to actual prison environments.

  E: Banuazizi & Movahedi (1975) suggested that participants were merely play-acting based on stereotypes, rather than genuinely conforming to roles.

  E: This undermines the generalizability of findings, as behaviours may have been influenced more by demand characteristics rather than true role conformity as one guard confessed he based his role on a brutal character from a film.

  L: Thus, this limitation suggests that the study's insights into conformity within real prison contexts may be limited.
• Point: However, McDermott (2019) argues that participants did engage authentically with the simulated prison environment.

  Evidence: He highlights participants' immersion in prison discussions and belief in the realism of the scenario, indicating genuine role adoption.

  Explain: This supports the study's internal validity, suggesting that it successfully replicated social roles similar to those in actual prisons.

  Link: Therefore, this perspective strengthens the argument for the SPE's relevance in understanding conformity within simulated environments.
• Point: Another limitation is the potential exaggeration of social roles' influence by Zimbardo.

  Evidence: Fromm (1973) noted that only a minority of guards exhibited brutal behaviour, while others displayed empathy and support towards prisoners.

  Explain: This challenges Zimbardo's portrayal of widespread role conformity and suggests the influence of dispositional factors alongside situational pressures.

  Link: Hence, this limitation raises doubts about the extent to which SPE participants truly conformed to social roles, highlighting the need for consideration of individual differences.