Miss Ranford’s Class

Social Approach EVALUATION Reicher and Haslam: Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: The BBC prison study’, British Journal of Social Psychology, 45:1-40

What did Reicher & Haslam conclude? The way in which members of a group behave depends on the norms and values of the group social identity and may be pro-or anti-social. Failing groups create problems for their own members and for others because when people cannot create a social system they will accept extreme solutions proposed by others. The breakdown of groups, and powerlessness, create the conditions for tyranny. It is possible to design and run powerful social psychological research studies that are also ethical. The role of guard was positively valued in the prison but the guards were concerned with possible negative evaluation by future audiences and this made them reluctant to identify with their role.

Evaluation Questions 1.What did Reicher & Haslam conclude? 2.What are the strengths and weaknesses of the method used in relation to the study? 3.Identify the sampling technique? Was it representative? 4.What are the strengths and weaknesses of the data gathered in relation to this study? 5.Was the study ecologically valid? High/Low ecological validity? 6.What ethical issues were raised by the study? 7.Was the study useful? 8.Comment on the reliability of the study 9.Comment on the validity of the study 10.Describe one change that you would make to this study and explain how you think this might affect the outcome of the study?.

Content Page SLIDES Research: 1. Method 2. Sample 3. Data Collection 4. Reliability 5. Validity 6. Issues 7. Debates 8. Suggested Changes 9. Activity

StrengthWeakness Experiment Case study Observation Self Report Longitudinal Repeated measures design 1: Method

Representative Not representative 2: Sample

QualitativeQuantitative Strength Limitation 3: Data Collection

4: Reliability

Internal ValidityExternal Validity High Low 5: Validity

Ecological Validity High Low 5: Validity

6: Issues - Ethics Ethical ConsiderationHow was this addressed (if applicable) How was this not addressed (if applicable) Informed Consent Deception Harm Right to Withdraw Debrief Right to withdraw

What is the difference between dispositional and situational hypothesis? What did this study show in relation to the above? Dispositional Hypothesis This views explains behaviour in terms of the individual – their nature, personality, outlook, character. In this study, participants did have control over their behaviour as the study showed that participants don’t just behave in any way without thinking. If there is a shared identity participants can behave in anti-social as well as pro- social ways. Situational Hypothesis The environment in which you find yourself is the strongest influence on your behaviour. Participants were affected by group processes. The strong identification with the group in prisoners made them united whilst the guards were weak as they could not identify with each other.

DebateEvidence for/against Personality vs situational Free will and determinism 7: Debates

StrengthsLimitations Evaluation: Usefulness

8. Suggested changes P E C

9: Activity: Write a letter to Reicher and Haslam doing the following A letter of complaint from the Surbiton Board of Psychology about the study (remember to use psychological terminology)