In Zimbardo's Stanford prison study, college men were randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners in a simulated prison. Within a few days, many guards adopted authoritarian roles and prisoners showed signs of stress. The study was ended early. Later analyses noted that some guard behavior was shaped by explicit instructions and selection effects.
The original interpretation of the study emphasized the power of:
- Acheck_circle
Situational roles and assigned social context on behavior
- B
Genetic predispositions for aggression
- C
Cognitive dissonance in role-playing
- D
Reinforcement schedules in shaping behavior
Explanation
Zimbardo argued that ordinary people, when placed in powerful roles within a coercive setting, will adopt behaviors consistent with those roles, illustrating situational influences over dispositional ones.