Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment

• Zimbardo’s groups members were encouraged to conform to social roles through 1/2:

  • Uniforms - prisoners were given loose smocks to wear, a cap to hide their hair and they were identified by numbers. The guards had their own uniform which reflected their perceived status, wooden clubs, handcuffs and mirror shades. These uniforms created a loss of personal identity-de individualisation - they would be more likely to conform to their social roles.
• Zimbardo’s groups members were encouraged to conform to social roles through 2/2:

  • Instructions about behaviour - prisoners were encouraged to identify with their role; instead of leaving the study early, they could apply for parole. The guards were encouraged to play their role by being reminded they have complete power over the prisoners.
• Zimbardo set up a mock prison in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford Uni; they wanted to know why guards behave brutally - was it sadistic personalities or their social role. They selected 21 male volunteers (students) who tested as emotionally stable, these students were assigned randomly to play the role of the prisoner or guard.
• Uniforms encouraged participants to conform. Prisoners were given loose smocks to wear, a cap to hide their hair and they were identified by numbers. The guards had their own uniform which reflected their perceived status, wooden cubs, handcuffs and mirror shades. These uniforms created a loss of personal identity and individualisation - they would be more likely to conform to their social roles.
• Instructions about behaviour were given to encourage participants to conform. Prisoners were encouraged to identify with their role; instead of leaving the study early they could 'apply for parole’. The guards were encouraged to play their role by being reminded they have complete power over the prisoners.
• When the guards treated the prisoners harshly, they rebelled within 2 weeks by ripping their uniforms, shouting and swearing at the guards who retaliated with fire extinguishers. The guards used the divided role tactic; they played the prisoners against each other. They frequently harassed the prisoners to remind them of the powerlessness of their role by doing random headcounts at midnight. They highlighted the difference in social roles by creating opportunities to enforce the rules and administer punishments.
• The prisoners became subdued, depressed and anxious after their rebellion, so much so, that; one was released because he showed psychological disturbance, two more were released on the fourth day, one went on a hunger strike. When the guards tried to force-feed him and punished him by putting him in the hole (a tiny dark closet) the guards' behaviour became increasingly brutal and aggressive, some of them it seeming to enjoy the power they had over the prisoners. Zimbardo ended the study after 6 days not the intended 14.
• Social roles appear to have a strong influence on individuals behaviour: The guards became brutal and the prisoners became submissive. Even volunteers who came in to perform specific functions (prison chaplain etc.) found themselves behaving as if they were in a prison rather than a psychological study.