(NO AO1) conformity to social roles

• conformity to social roles is not automatic

  Haslam and Reicher

  • challenged Zimbardo's views
  • pointed out that even in SPE there were sadistic to a few 'good guards'
  • shows that the guards chose how to behave rather than blindly conforming as suggested
• demand characteristics

  large sample students who hadn't heard of study presented details

  • vast majority guessed aim of experiment and predicted results too

  response not due to 'compelling prison environment' but actually demand characteristics
• ethics were questionable

  followed guidelines of Stanford university ethics committee

  • much emotional distress
  • debriefing sessions after for several years - concluded no lasting negative effects
  • Reicher and Haslam took greater steps for a less harmful environment
• SPE relevance to Abu Ghraib


  military prison in Iraq notorious for torture and abuse of prisoners by us soldiers

  • Zimbardo argued this was due to situational factors -lack of training, boredom and no accountability to higher authority