Zimbardo- Conformity 2 Social Roles

• Conformity to social roles involves identification, involving public and private acceptance of the behaviour and attitudes exhibited but only whilst in those particular situations.
• Procedure


  1. A mock prison was set up in the Psychology department at Stanford University (USA)

  2. Male, student, volunteers were psychologically and physically screened and the 24 most stable of these were randomly assigned to either play the role of prisoner or guard

  3. The prisoners were unexpectedly arrested at home and on entry to the 'prison' they were put through a delousing procedure, given a prison uniform and assigned an ID number

  4. The guards referred to the prisoners only by these numbers throughout the study

  5. Prisoners were allowed certain rights, including three meals and three supervised toilet trips a day and two visits per week

  6. Participants allocated the role of guard were given uniforms, clubs, whistles and wore reflective sunglasses (to prevent eye contact)

  7. Zimbardo himself took the role of Prison Superintendent

  8. The study was planned to last two weeks
• Findings 


  •The participants appeared at times to forget that this was only a psychological study and that they were merely acting.•Even when they were unaware of being watched, they still conformed to their role of prisoner or guard.
• Findings


  •The study was finally terminated after only six days instead of the proposed 14, following the intervention of a postgraduate student who reminded the researchers that this was a psychological study and, as such, did not justify the abuse to the participants. This study demonstrated that both guards and prisoners conformed to their social roles.
• Social identity theory


  Explains how the prisoners took control of the mock prison and subjected the guards to a campaign of harassment and disobedience
• Social identity theory explanation

  • The guards failed to develop a shared social identity as a cohesive group, but the prisoners did
  • The prisoners actively identified themselves as members of a social group that refused to accept the limits of their assigned roles as prisoners
• The prisoners taking control of the mock prison and subjecting the guards to harassment and disobedience


  Undermines Zimbardo's conclusion that the guards and prisoners were conforming to their social roles
• Zimbardo's conclusion may not be valid