Obedience

• What was Zimbardo investigating in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  Conformity to social roles
• How were participants allocated in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  Randomly to either prisoner or guard
• Where was the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted?

  Basement of Stanford Psychology department
• What role did Zimbardo play in the experiment?

  He was the superintendent
• What measures were taken to deindividuate the subjects?

  Guards received uniforms, sunglasses, truncheons
• How were prisoners treated upon arrival?

  Arrested by real cops and de-loused
• How long was the Stanford Prison Experiment planned to run?

  14 days
• Why was the Stanford Prison Experiment cancelled early?

  Prisoners rebelled and had breakdowns
• What behavior did the guards exhibit during the experiment?

  They became brutal, sadistic, and aggressive
• How many days did the Stanford Prison Experiment actually last?

  5 days
• What are demand characteristics in the context of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  Participants may act based on perceived expectations
• Why can't the findings of the Stanford Prison Experiment be generalized to real life?

  Low ecological validity due to artificial setting
• What is a limitation regarding the sample of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  Sample comprised only US male students
• How has the Stanford Prison Experiment influenced US prison practices?

  Juveniles are no longer housed with adults
• What ethical guidelines did Zimbardo's experiment break?

  Protection from harm for participants
• What adverse reactions did some prisoners experience?

  Nervous breakdowns and emotional distress
• What feelings did some guards report after the experiment?

  Anxiety and guilt from their actions
• How many males participated in Milgram's Obedience Study?

  40 males
• What role did participants play in Milgram's study?

  They were assigned as 'teachers'
• What did the 'teacher' have to do in Milgram's study?

  Give painful shocks to the 'learner'
• What was the maximum voltage in Milgram's study?

  450 volts
• What happened to the 'learner' during the shocks?

  Played a tape of cries of agony
• What percentage of participants obeyed up to 450 volts in Milgram's study?

  65%
• What does Milgram's conclusion suggest about people's actions?

  Actions are influenced by the situation, not disposition
• What criticism can be made about Milgram's deterministic view?

  Not all participants obeyed to 450 volts
• What is a strength of Milgram's methodology regarding control?

  Easy to control all factors in a lab study
• Why is Milgram's study considered to have high internal validity?

  Responses were recorded consistently for all participants
• What is a limitation regarding demand characteristics in Milgram's study?

  Participants may behave unnaturally if they suspect shocks are fake
• What does the lack of external validity imply about Milgram's study?

  Findings may not apply to real-life situations
• What is legitimate authority in the context of obedience?

  Authority figure has the right to give orders
• How did Milgram demonstrate the power of legitimate authority?

  Obedience dropped to 20% without lab coat
• What is the agentic state in obedience?

  Seeing oneself as just following orders
• How does the agentic state increase obedience in Milgram's study?

  Experimenter takes responsibility for actions
• What characterizes the authoritarian personality?

  Rigid and inflexible beliefs from strict parenting
• How does the authoritarian personality relate to obedience?

  Submissive to perceived superiors, obeying orders
• What contradicts the authoritarian personality explanation in Milgram's findings?

  Obedience resulted from situational factors, not dispositional
• What are the main findings and implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  • Demonstrated the power of situational factors
  • Highlighted ethical concerns in psychological research
  • Influenced prison reform and practices
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Milgram's Obedience Study?

  Strengths:

  • High internal validity due to controlled conditions
  • Findings replicated in other countries

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Demand characteristics may affect behavior
  • Lack of external validity in real-life contexts
• What factors contribute to obedience according to social influence theories?

  • Legitimate authority
  • Agentic state
  • Authoritarian personality