WEAKNESSES

• WEAKNESSES OF ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  • generalisability
  • lack of realism
  • ethical issues
• WHY ARE ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT RESULTS NOT VERY GENERALISABLE?

  would take a certain type of person to volunteer to take part in a 'psychological study about prison life'
• WHAT WERE THE FINDINGS ABOUT PARTICIPANTS WHO RESPONDED TO STUDY ABOUT PRISON LIFE OVER THOSE WHO JUST VOLUNTEERED FOR A PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY?

  higher in aggression and authoritarianism, but lower in empathy
• WHAT DOES THE VOLUNTEER RESULTS SUGGEST ABOUT ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  individual differences play a role as the sample is not representative of the wider population in prisons
• COUNTERARGUMENT FOR GENERALISABILITY?

  might reflect similar characteristics of those who choose to work in prisons
• WHY DOES ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT HAVE A LACK OF REALISM?

  the artificial environment leads to demand characteristics
• WHAT DO THE PRESENCE OF DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT MEAN?

  participants are aware of the simulation, and may have just been responding to aims due to a lack of mundane realism
• WHAT DOES THE RESPONSE TO DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT SUGGEST ABOUT THE RESULTS?

  not applicable to real prisons, where actions have consequences
• COUNTERARGUMENT FOR LACK OF REALISM IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  90% of conversations were about prison life (therefore results may actually be high in ecological validity)
• ETHICAL ISSUES OF ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  • not protected from psychological harm
  • lack of informed consent
  • unaware of right to withdraw
• WHY IS IT EVIDENT THAT PARTICIPANTS IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT WERE NOT PROTECTED FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM?

  many experienced extreme levels of distress which could have permanent impacts on their psychological health
• HOW COULD THE ISSUE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM BE FIXED IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  having a psychologist/ counsellor on call at all times
• WHAT WAS THE ISSUE OF INFORMED CONSENT IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  believed they were experimenting prison life and not social roles
• HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF INFORMED CONSENT IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  explain aim and procedure
• HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF UNCLEAR RIGHTS TO WITHDRAW IN ZIMBARDO'S EXPERIMENT?

  remind/ inform participants of right to withdraw and immediately approve request