zimbardo prison simulation

Norms are involved in Zimbardo’s prison research because the guards and prisoners used norms revolving around typical prisoner and guard behavior. Both guards and prisoners were not briefed at length as to how to play their roles, and so they relied on norms for how guards and prisoners typically behave as the basis for their behavior. Obedience is involved because the guards had authority over prisoners, and so in addition to the pressure to conform to group norms, there was a pressure to obey the direction of the guards as they were in positions of relative authority. It can be argued that the results of the experiment were predictable based on the results of the asch conformity studies and the milgram obedience research. Both previous studies highlighted the potential influence of situations and pressure to conform on individual behavior. The studies demonstrated that even reasonable individuals could behave in unexpected ways when placed in situations with significant situational pressures, particularly those involving authority as with the Milgrim study, or those involving pressure to conform to a group as with the Asch conformity studies