3. Zimbardo's Study

• Describe the Stanford Prison experiment

  1970s study as to why prison guards behave brutally. Is it due to sadistic personalities or social roles? Zimbardo et al set up a mock prison in the basement of Stanford University and tested 21 men (student volunteers) to see if they were emotionally stable. They were randomly assigned the role of prison guard or prisoner and were encouraged to conform to social roles.
• How were uniforms used in the study?

  Prisoners were given a loose smock and cap to cover their hair as well as a number to be defined by. Guards were given their own uniforms reflecting the status of their role. Uniforms create a loss of identity - de-individuation).
• What were the findings?

  • Guards took up role harshly and treated prisoners brutally
  • Guards used 'divide and rule' tactics eg. headcounts
  • Highlighted difference in social roles
  • After initial prisoner rebellion, prisoners became depressed and subdued
  • One prisoner was released due to symptoms of psychological disturbance
  • Two released on fourth day
  • One went on hunger strike
  • Guard behaviour was very brutal and some appeared to enjoy the role
  • Zimbardo ended the study after 6 days and not the intended 14
• What were the conclusions?

  • Social roles have a strong influence on behaviour
  • Guards were brutal
  • Prisoners were submissive
  • Roles taken on easily by all pps
• Outline one strength of Zimbardo's study

  One strength of the methodology of Zimbardo’s research is the high levels of control over key variables.  For example, Zimbardo ensured that only the most emotionally-stable individuals were chosen and randomly assigned to the roles of guard and prisoner. This was one way in which the researchers ruled individual personality differences as an explanation of the findings. This degree of control over variables increased the internal validity of the study.
• However, Banuazizi & Movahedi (75) argued that pps were play-acting rather than genuinely conforming to a role. Pps performances were based on their stereotypes of how prisoners and guards are supposed to behave. For example, one of the guards claimed he had based his role on a brutal character from the film ‘Cool Hand Luke’. This suggests that due to the lack of realism, the findings from Zimbardo’s research cannot be generalised beyond the research setting and therefore tell us very little about conformity to social roles in actual prisons, thus limiting its external validity.
• Outline one limitation of Zimbardo's study

  A recent replication of the Stanford Prison study, carried out by Reicher and Haslam (2006), contradicts the findings of Zimbardo. They randomly assigned 15 men to the role of prisoner or guard. The pps did not conform to their social roles automatically as the guards did not identify with their status and refused to impose their authority, which resulted in a shift of power and a collapse of the prison system.
• These results clearly suggest that conformity to social roles may not be automatic, raising questions about the accuracy and reliability of original findings and conclusions.
• Furthermore, individual differences and personality also determine the extent to which a person conforms to social roles. In Zimbardo’s original experiment the behaviour of the guards varied dramatically, from extremely sadistic behaviour to a few good guards who helped the prisoners. This suggests that situational factors are not the only cause of conformity to social roles and dispositional factors may also play a role, indicating that Zimbardo’s original conclusion may have been too simplistic by just acknowledging the role of situational factors.
• Outline one limitation of Zimbardo's study

  A limitation is that Zimbardo’s experiment has been heavily criticised for breaking many ethical guidelines, in particular, protection from harm. After the rebellion which broke out in the ‘prison’, a number of participants reported signs of depression and anxiety.
• One participant was released early due to adverse psychological symptoms, while another went on a hunger strike. Although Zimbardo followed the ethical guidelines of Stanford University and debriefed his participants afterwards, the study still had to finish early, limiting accurate conclusions.