Social Influence: Conformity to social roles (Zimbardo)

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What was the setting for the experiment?
The basement of the Stanford Uni. psych department
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How were volunteers gathered?
Advertisements and thorough psychological examination to determine suitability for the experiment
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What was the procedure of the study?
The prisoner and guard roles were randomly assigned and prisoners were taken to the "prison" by local police. They were blindfolded, deloused and searched
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What was the procedure of the study? (cont.)
The role of the guards and prisoners were strictly divided, with guards having free reign over the prisoner's schedules, with Zimbardo acting as the superintendent. The guards worked in shifts and were only allowed to refer to inmates by their numbers
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What happened during the study?
The guards took to their roles wholeheartedly, subjecting prisoners to physical and mental harm, playing them off against each other and locking them in "The Hole": a tiny dark closet. They punished the smallest of infractions
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What happened during the study? (cont.)
The prisoners attempted to rebel by shouting at the guards and ripping their uniforms and one even went on hunger strike, who they attempted to force feed. The rebellion was crushed and this resulted in the prisoners becoming anxious and depressed. The st
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What conclusions can we draw from this?
All of the participants conformed to their assigned roles, including a "prison chaplain" and even Zimbardo himself, behaving as if it were an actual prison
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What are some strengths of the experiment?
It was highly controlled: The random role assignment and thorough evaluation of candidates controlled for bias and individual personality differences
The realism also contributed to the internal validity of the study
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

How were volunteers gathered?

Back

Advertisements and thorough psychological examination to determine suitability for the experiment

Card 3

Front

What was the procedure of the study?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What was the procedure of the study? (cont.)

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What happened during the study?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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