Conformity to social roles (Zimbardo)

what is a social role?

‘Parts’ people play as members of various social groups. For example, being a teacher, student, passenger etc

• these are accompanied by expectations we and others have of what is appropriate behaviour in each role such are caring or being obedient

Zimbardo: Stanford prison experiment

• procedure

• findings

• comclusion

Procedure:

• mock prison set up in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford Uni

• recruited 24 male students from a volunteer sample

• all volunteers were psychologically and physically screened to select the most stable, and then they were randomly allocated to the role of guards or prisoner

• prisoners unexpectedly arrested at home and taken to prison

• dehumanisation and deindividuation occurred through use of ID numbers in prisoners and dark sun glasses in guards

• study intended to run for 14 days, only lasted 6

Findings:

• within a day, the prisoners rebelled and ripped off their numbers. Guards responded by confiscating blankets and using aggressive behaviour

• dehumanisation increasingly apparent as guards humiliated the prisoners until they became submissive. Deindividuation noticeable when prisoners started calling each other by their numbers than names

• prisoners became rapidly depressed. After 36 hours, a prisoner was released because he showed symptoms of psychological disturbances. 3 more developed similar symptoms and were released later

Conclusion:

• conformity to social roles in a situation affects behaviour and its influenced by loss of identity

• power of the situation (as opposed to dispositional factors) influences behaviour

Zimbardo: Stanford prison experiment

• strength

Zimbardo: Stanford prison experiment

• weakness

definitions

• deindividuation

• dehumanisation