Social roles - The 'parts' people play as members of various social groups (eg parent, child, student) Accompanied by expectations of appropriate behaviour
Context - significant problems in prisons at the time, especially how the guards treated the inmates (Attica prison riots - Santa Clara County jail CA)
To find out whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards (dispositional) or had more to do with the prison environment (situational)
Stanford Prison Experiment - Procedure
Mock prison in Stanford Uni psychology basement
Advertised $15 per day to participant and 75 applicants joined
Extensive psychological testing to ensure mental stability
12 guards and 12 prisoners were picked but only 10 prisoners and 11 guards participated
Random assignment of roles
Stanford Prison Experiment - Procedure
To heighten realism, prisoners were arrested in their homes and taken to a prison
Blindfolded, stripped, searched, and deloused - then given a uniform and a number of The prisoners daily routines were highly regulated
16 rules to follow - enforced by guards
3 guards at a time
Prisoners didn't have names, only numbers
Stanford Prison Experiment - Findings
Within two days, prisoners rebelled against harsh treatment by the guards
They ripped their uniforms, shouted and screamed at the guards - who retaliated with fire extinguishers
Constant harassment - prisoners were made to line up and be counted even in the middle of the night
Frequent enforcement of the roles, even with small misdemeanours
The guards behaviour became abusive and aggressive - they enjoyed the power they had
Stanford Prison Experiment - Conclusion
Both guards and prisoners conformed to their set roles
The study supported Zimbardo'stheory that their behaviour was situational not dispositional
