Topic 5: Social influence - 5.2 Studies — Edexcel GCSE Psychology
Test yourself on Topic 5: Social influence - 5.2 Studies with PEARSON EDEXCEL GCSE practice questions.
7 days Premium · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge
Topic 5: Social influence - 5.2 Studies explained
Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo (1973) investigated how readily people conform to the roles of guard and prisoner in a simulated prison.
Read the full explanation
They converted a university basement into a mock prison, randomly assigning 24 healthy male students to be prisoners or guards. Guards received uniforms and mirrored sunglasses to deindividuate them, while prisoners were arrested, stripped, and assigned ID numbers. Planned for 14 days, the study ended after six because guards became highly abusive and authoritarian, while prisoners exhibited extreme emotional distress and submissiveness. This study demonstrated that situational factors and assigned social roles powerfully influence human behaviour, often overriding individual personality traits.
Your focus
- Describe the aims, procedure, and findings of the Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo (1973) study.
- Explain how the simulated prison environment influenced the behaviour of the participants.
- Evaluate the study in terms of its ethical issues and methodological strengths or weaknesses.
Topic 5: Social influence - 5.2 Studies exam tips
Marking Points
- Identify the aim: to investigate conformity to assigned social roles in a simulated prison environment.
- Describe the sample: 24 male college students assessed as psychologically healthy, randomly assigned to roles.
- Outline the procedure: prisoners were arrested at home and deindividuated with smocks and numbers; guards were given uniforms, clubs, and reflective sunglasses.
- State the findings: guards became abusive and prisoners became submissive, leading to the study ending after six days instead of fourteen.
- Explain the conclusion: behaviour was heavily influenced by situational factors and social roles rather than dispositional factors.
Examiner Tips
- 💡When evaluating the study, focus on ethical issues such as the lack of protection from psychological harm.
- 💡Use the term 'deindividuation' to explain how uniforms and numbers altered the participants' sense of personal identity.
- 💡Contrast situational explanations of behaviour (the prison environment) with dispositional ones (the participants' personalities).
Common Mistakes
- Error: Stating that the participants were actual prisoners and guards. Correction: Clarify that they were volunteer college students randomly assigned to these roles.
- Error: Claiming the study lasted the full 14 days. Correction: Remember that it was terminated after six days due to the extreme distress of the prisoners.
- Error: Believing the guards were instructed to be cruel. Correction: Note that guards were told to maintain order but were not explicitly instructed to use psychological abuse.