JOHNSON & DOWNING'S 1979 DEINDIVIDUATION STUDY

AIM:
To investigate how different social cues and costumes can influence behaviour in a deindividuated state

METHOD:

Participants were randomly assigned one of three conditions:

Nurse uniform group: Participants wore nurse uniforms, which are associated with caring and helpful behaviour
Klan-like uniform group: Participants wore uniforms similar to those of the Ku Klux Klan, which are associated with aggression and hostility
Control group: Participants wore their own clothes and were identifiable

Within these groups, participants were divided into two conditions:

Deindividuated condition: Participants were made to feel anonymous by wearing masks and not being referred to by their names
Individuated condition: Participants were made to feel identifiable by not wearing masks and being referred to by their names

Participants were then asked to deliver electric shocks to a confederate as part of a supposed learning experiment, similar to Zimbardo (1969)

RESULTS:

The results showed that the nature of the costume significantly influenced behaviour in the deindividuated state:

Participants in the nurse uniforms administered fewer and less intense shocks compared to those in the other groups, even when deindividuated
Participants in the Klan-like uniforms administered more shocks at higher intensities when deindividuated compared to the nurse uniform group
The control group showed a moderate level of shock administration, with less variation between the individuated and deindividuated conditions

CONCLUSION:

Johnson and Downing concluded that deindividuation does not inherently lead to aggressive behaviour; instead, the social cues associated with the uniform or costume can significantly influence the outcome. When the uniform was associated with positive, prosocial roles, deindividuation led to less aggressive behaviour. Conversely, when the uniform was associated with negative, anti-social roles, deindividuation led to more aggressive behaviour

Note