social roles

• outline zimbardo's stanford prison experiment

  • 24 psychologically stable male students recruited via adverts
  • randomly assigned to "guard" or "prisoner"
  • process of deindividuation
  • guards became abusive and "role behaviour" continued
  • study ended on day 6 out of 14
• what was the issue with right to withdraw in zimbardo's study?

  participants told they could leave at any time

  • zimbardo encouraged participants to stay
  • prisoner 8612 felt he couldn't leave
• outline the issue zimbardo faced with protection from harm

  subject to distressing experiences, one participant went on hunger strike

  • zimbardo held dual roles so unable to fulfil professional duty of care
  • zimbardo didn't foresee any harm
• was there an issue of deception in the stanford prison experiment?

  yes

  • participants told it was a simulated prison and usual liberties were suspended
  • zimbardo maintains he didn't forsee any harm
• outline evaluation point 1 for SPE

  ethical concerns

  • psychological harm (no foreseen harm)
  • right to withdraw (did allow it but pressured)
  • obtained consent but not fully
• outline evaluation point 2 for SPE

  demand characteristics

  • large student sample guessed the aims
  • some did behave genuinely, immersion
  • undermines internal validity and credibility
• outline evaluation point 3 for SPE

  real world application

  • abuse of prisoners by military guards
  • individual differences undermines this
  • has some external validity
• what was the counter study for Zimbardo?

  BBC Prison Study

  • 15 men, randomly assigned to guard or prisoner
  • no automatic conformity, authority broke down
  • failed to identify with roles

  why did differences occur?

  • differences in culture
  • televised creates issues with validity