Conformity to social roles

• What was the name of Zimbardo's controversial study on conformity?

  Stanford Prison Experiment
• What was the aim of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  To examine conformity to social roles
• What factors did Zimbardo want to examine in the study?

  Internal dispositional vs external situational factors
• How many male university students participated in the study?

  24 male university students
• How were participants selected for the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  Based on physical and mental stability
• How much were participants paid to take part in the study?

  $15 a day
• How were participants assigned to their roles in the experiment?

  Randomly assigned to guards or prisoners
• What was done to enhance the realism of the mock prison?

  Converted Stanford basement into a prison
• How were the prisoners treated upon their arrival?

  Arrested, fingerprinted, stripped, and chained
• What instructions were given to the guards?

  Run the prison without physical violence
• How long was the Stanford Prison Experiment supposed to last?

  Two weeks
• What happened to the prisoners after a few days?

  They rebelled against the guards
• How did the guards respond to the prisoners' rebellion?

  They crushed the rebellion and became abusive
• What extreme actions did the guards take against the prisoners?

  Dehumanized them and forced toilet cleaning
• How many prisoners were released early due to adverse reactions?

  Five prisoners
• Why was the Stanford Prison Experiment terminated early?

  Due to physical and mental torment of prisoners
• What conclusion did Zimbardo draw from the experiment?

  People conform to social roles quickly
• What did Zimbardo conclude about situational factors?

  They largely influenced behavior in the study
• What was a strength of the Stanford Prison Experiment regarding control?

  Control over participant selection increased validity
• What did Banuazizi and Mohavedi argue about the participants' behavior?

  They were play-acting rather than conforming
• How did Zimbardo respond to the criticism of realism?

  He provided evidence of participants' real experiences
• What did Fromm accuse Zimbardo of exaggerating?

  The power of the situation to influence behavior
• What did the minority of guards do during the experiment?

  Behaved fairly and supported prisoners
• What ethical issue arose from Zimbardo's dual roles?

  He prioritized prison management over participant welfare
• What major ethical guideline was broken in the study?

  Protection from harm
• What did Zimbardo acknowledge about the timing of the study's termination?

  It should have been stopped earlier
• What was the outcome of Reicher and Haslam's BBC prison study?

  Prisoners took control and challenged guards
• What theory did Reicher and Haslam use to explain their findings?

  Social identity theory (SIT)
• What did the guards fail to develop in the BBC prison study?

  A shared social identity as a cohesive group
• How did the prisoners identify themselves in the BBC prison study?

  As a group that challenged authority
• What are the main findings of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  • Participants quickly identified with their roles
  • Prisoners rebelled but were crushed by guards
  • Guards became increasingly abusive
  • Five prisoners released early due to distress
  • Experiment terminated after six days
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  Strengths:

  • Control over participant selection
  • High internal validity

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Lack of realism in participant behavior
  • Ethical issues regarding participant treatment
  • Lack of research support from later studies