Psychology 9-1 GCSE - 

5.2.2 - Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo (1973) A Study of Prisoners and Guards in a Simulated Prison:

Aims - 

To find out whether the brutality reported in prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards or the situation. 

Procedure - 

Randomly assigned people who applied to guard or prisoner set up in a prison environment, prisoners were treated like real prisoners. Referred to not by their name but by their number. Guards were dressed identically. 

Results - 

Within a very short time, both guards and prisoners were settling into their roles. Within hours of the experiment the guards began to harass prisoners. Guards found it easy to dehumanize the prisoners. 

Conclusions - 

People will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play. Especially if the roles are strongly stereotyped. The prison environment was an important factor in creating the guards brutal behavior. Deindividation can explain the guards behavior, as they were working as a group. Learned helplessness can explain the prisoners submission to the guards. 

Strengths - 

• It was a convincing environment.
• It has altered the way US prisons are run. 

Weaknesses - 

• Not so generalizable for real life, as it was a superficial environment.
• It was advertised as a prison environment, this effects who applied.