Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment

What is identification?

A moderate type of conformity where we act in the same way as the group because we value it and want to be part of it. But we don’t necessarily agree with everything the group / majority believes. 

What was the aim of the Stanford prison experiment (1973)?

to investigate how readily people would conform to the roles of guard and prisoner in a role-playing exercise that simulated prison life.

What was the sample of the Stanford prison experiment (1973)?

21 male uni students, randomly assigned to role of either prisoner or guard.

What was the location of the Stanford prison experiment (1973)?

Basement at Stanford uni 

What was the procedure of the Stanford prison experiment (1973)?

• prisoners were arrested at home and taken to the prison, had a uniform of smock dress, flip flops and stocking cap. They were also given a number and only referred to by their number

• Guards told to set up prison and given a khaki uniform, mirrored sunglasses and a baton.

• Guards told to keep order and not use excessive force but no other specific rules

• It was a controlled observation

What were the results of the Stanford prison experiment (1973)?

• Within hours of beginning the study some guards began to harass prisoners. 

• They behaved in a brutal and sadistic manner, apparently enjoying it. 

• The prisoners soon adopted prisoner-like behaviour too. They talked about prison issues a great deal of the time. They ‘told tales’ on each other to the guards. Some even began siding with the guards against prisoners who did not conform to the rules

• One prisoner had to be released after 36 hours because of uncontrollable bursts of screaming, crying and anger. Within the next few days three others also had to leave after showing signs of emotional disorder that could have had lasting consequences. 

• Zimbardo had to shut the experiment down on day six.

• There was real danger that someone might be physically or mentally damaged if it was allowed to run on. 

Evaluation of Zimbardos conforming to social roles: good amount of control

• A good degree of control was exerted over the procedure:

  • The 'vetting' of participants to factor out prior psychiatric conditions

  • The random allocation to role

• both of the above measures ensured that individual differences did not confound the results e.g. it was pure chance who ended up as prisoner or guard

• HOWEVER, Subsequent researchers have argued that Zimbardo’s results are not the result of the participants conforming to their social roles but rather they are the response to powerful demand characteristics,

• participants guessed the aims of the study and acting in the way they felt was expected

Evaluation of Zimbardos conforming to social roles: ethics

• Informed consent did not cover all aspects of what the participants could expect about the procedure (e.g. the arrests at night)

• Protection from harm was almost absent:

  • Zimbardo actively encouraged the guards to be cruel and oppressive prior to the start of the study

  • the prisoners suffered in their role, both physically and psychologically

  • the guards had to live with the knowledge of their potential for brutality after the study was over and the prisoners may have suffered PTSD as a result of their experience

Evaluation of Zimbardos conforming to social roles: nomothetic

P - A limitation of Zimbardo’s research is that it takes a nomothetic approach.

E - Zimbardo’s findings and conclusion assume that all conformity to social roles will occur in the same way for all individuals - as a result of situational factors.

E - This fails to account for individual differences. For example some participants may be more likely than others to conform to social roles  due to differences in personality. This might explain why some guards were particularly brutal, whereas others tried to help the prisoners.

L - Therefore, this study cannot offer a conclusion that is generalisable to the wider population, as we do not have a complete understanding of conformity to social roles and an idiographic approach should be used as well.