Zimbardo's SPE

• AIM - to see whether people will conform to social roles of guards or prisoners
• PROCEDURE -

  1. 70 volunteers applied to an advert in the newspaper
  2. they went through physical & psychological tests, leaving 24 left.
  3. split randomly into 12 guards and 12 prisoners
  4. prisoners arrested randomly in their homes
  5. prisoners deloused/stripped, given a number, chain, robe.
  6. guards given uniform, baton, sunglasses
  7. zimbardo took the role of superintendent
  8. ended after 6 days
• FINDINGS -

  1. prisoners began to rebel (flipping beds, locking in cells etc.)
  2. guards became increasingly tyrannical (roleplaying, pushups, cleaning toilets, solitary confinement etc.)
  3. prisoners then became more obedient
  4. had to end the study at 6 days. it was meant to last 2 weeks.
• CONCLUSION - people quickly conform to social roles assigned to them even when it goes against their beliefs/morals
• it could be argued that the prisoners of the SPE were mistreated to begin with, forcing them into a position of submission, making the study unethical and the results invalid. this is because the prisoners were arrested in their own homes, which they didnt agree to, and might have forced them to comply or act as they wouldnt have if the experiment started in the controlled prison environment