Conformity to social roles - Zimbardo's Research

What was the aim of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

To investigate whether brutal police behaviour is due to sadistic personalities or the situation they are in

How was the Stanford Prison Experiment set up

• A mock prison was created in a university basement

• 24 psychologically stable male volunteers were randomly assigned roles as guards or prisoners

What happened to the prisoners upon arrival

• Unexpectedly arrested at home

• Put through a delousing procedure

• Given prison uniforms and an ID number

• Allowed limited rights (meals, toilet trips, visits)

What were the guards given, and what was Zimbardo’s role

• Guards received uniforms, clubs, whistles, and reflective sunglasses (to prevent eye contact)

• Zimbardo played the role of Prison Superintendent

How did the guards behave in the experiment

• Became tyrannical and abusive, waking prisoners at night and forcing them to clean toilets with bare hands

• Some volunteered for extra unpaid hours

• Even when not matched, they still conformed to their roles

How did the prisoners react to their roles

• Some asked for parole rather than withdrawing form the study

• 5 prisoners had to be released early due to extreme emotional distress (crying, rage, anxiety)

• Became increasingly passive and accepting of their situation

Why was the study ended early

• Planned to last 2 weeks but was stooped after 6 days

• A researcher reminded Zimbardo that the abuse was unethical and unjustified

What did the experiment demonstrate

• Both prisoners and guards conformed to their soical roles

• Guards became dominant, and prisoners became submissive

What ethical concerns arose from the experiment

• Study should have been stopped earlier due to emotional distress

• Zimbardo’s dual role as superintendent and researcher led to ethical conflicts

• Debriefing shows no long term harm, but distress during the study was high

What did Haslam & Reicher (2012) argued against Zimbardo’s conclusions

• Only one third of guards acted brutally

• Some guards sympathized with prisoners and did not conform

• Suggests guards chose their behaviour rather than blindly conforming

What did the BBC Prisoner Study find

• Prisoners took over and resisted the guards

• Guards failed to form a shared soical identity, while prisoners united and gained power

• Findings contradict Zimbardo’s suggesting group identity influences behaviour more than roles