Zimbardo

• Who conducted the Stanford prison experiment (SPE)?

  Philip Zimbardo and colleagues
• What was the main question Zimbardo aimed to investigate in the SPE?

  Whether the brutal behavior of prison guards was due to sadistic personalities or the social role of being a guard
• How many men were selected as participants for the SPE?

  21 men
• What criteria were used to select participants for the SPE?

  Participants were emotionally stable individuals
• How were the roles of guards and prisoners assigned in the SPE?

  Roles were assigned randomly
• What type of uniforms were given to the prisoners in the SPE?

  Loose smocks and caps to cover their hair, identified by number
• What items were included in the guards' uniforms in the SPE?

  Wooden clubs, handcuffs, and mirror shades
• What psychological effect did the uniforms have on the participants?

  They created a loss of personal identity, leading to de-individuation
• How were the prisoners encouraged to identify with their roles?

  By procedures such as applying for parole instead of leaving early
• What was the initial reaction of the prisoners to the guards' treatment?

  The prisoners rebelled within two days
• What tactics did the guards use to maintain control over the prisoners?

  Divide-and-rule tactics and constant harassment
• What was the psychological state of the prisoners after their rebellion was suppressed?

  They became subdued, depressed, and anxious
• What happened to one of the prisoners who showed signs of psychological disturbance?

  He was released from the study
• How did the guards' behavior change over the course of the study?

  Their behavior became increasingly brutal and aggressive
• Why did Zimbardo end the study prematurely?

  Because the guards' behavior became too brutal
• What conclusion can be drawn about social roles from the SPE?

  Social roles have a strong influence on individuals' behavior
• How did even volunteers performing specific functions behave in the SPE?

  They found themselves behaving as if they were in a prison
• What was one strength of the SPE regarding control over variables?

  Participants were emotionally stable and randomly assigned to roles
• What did the control over variables increase in the SPE?

  It increased the internal validity of the study
• What was a limitation of the SPE regarding realism?

  It lacked the realism of a true prison
• What did Banuazizi and Movahedi argue about the participants' behavior?


  Participants were merely play-acting rather than genuinely conforming to their roles
• How did one of the guards base his role in the SPE?

  He based it on a brutal character from the film Cool Hand Luke
• What did Mark McDermott argue about the participants' behavior in the SPE?


  Participants behaved as if the prison was real to them
• What percentage of the prisoners' conversations were about prison life?

  90%
• What did one prisoner believe about the SPE?

  He believed it was a real prison run by psychologists
• What is one limitation regarding Zimbardo's view on the power of social roles?

  He may have exaggerated the power of social roles to influence behavior
• What did Zimbardo's findings suggest about the guards' behavior?

  Only one-third of the guards behaved brutally
• What did some guards do instead of conforming to a brutal role?

  They tried to apply the rules fairly and helped the prisoners
• What does Zimbardo's study suggest about the influence of dispositional factors?

  It suggests that dispositional factors, such as personality, may have been minimized
• What is the significance of the SPE in understanding social roles?

  It highlights the powerful impact of social roles on behavior
• What are the key findings of the Stanford prison experiment (SPE)?

  • Guards treated prisoners harshly and took their roles seriously
  • Prisoners rebelled within two days
  • Guards used divide-and-rule tactics and constant harassment
  • Prisoners became subdued, depressed, and anxious
  • Zimbardo ended the study after six days due to brutality
• What are the strengths and limitations of the SPE?

  Strengths:

  • Control over key variables increased internal validity
  • Random assignment ruled out individual personality differences

  
  

  Limitations:

  • Lack of realism compared to actual prisons
  • Zimbardo may have exaggerated the power of social roles