Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny:

Reicher & Haslam wanted to carry out a more ethical prison study Collaborated with the BBC who funded the research and broadcast the findings in 4 1hour documentaries Aim: to create an institution ‘like’ a prison to investigate the behaviour of groups that are unequal in resources, power and status

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Reicher & Haslam questions: do participants accept roles uncritically? do those given power exercise it with no restraint? do those given no power accept their situation without complaint ?

Method The study was a lab experiment designed to create a society in which the pts would live for 10 days It was constructed inside a film studio in London

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: ETHICS submitted for scrutiny by BPS ethics committee participants clinical, medical & background screened and all gave INFORMED consent monitored by clinical psychologists throughout paramedic on duty throughout security guards present to intervene if needed monitored by 5 person ethics committee who were able to terminate the study at any time

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Participants Recruited by adverts in national press screened e.g. well adjusted and pro-social fully assessed over a weekend by independent clinical psychologist provided medical and character references & police checks conducted 332 applicants reduced to 27 men

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Participants 15 chosen to represent diversity in age, class and ethnicity matched on personality variables into 5 groups of 3 1 from each group allocated as guard and other 2 as prisoners - thus 5 guards and 10 prisoners Only men used so could compare to SPE & to avoid ethical issues of men & women sharing cells

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: A scene from the study

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: What was measured? Data sources (DVs) video & audio recording of behaviour daily psychometric testing for social variables e.g. social identification organisational variables e.g. compliance with rules clinical variables e.g. depression & self-efficacy cortisol levels (saliva) as indicator of stress

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Guard initiation: the evening prior to study the 5 guards were told they had been selected as Gs shown prison timetables, informed about duties, roll calls and their responsibility to ‘ensure institution runs smoothly’ asked to draw up the rules and to suggest punishments TOLD NO PHYSICAL VIOLENCE ALLOWED taken to prison in van with blacked out windows

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Guard situation: superior accommodation good quality uniform superior meals keys to all doors & punishment cell access to guard station with surveillance system which could view all cells resources - sweets & cigarettes to give rewards

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Prisoner situation: 3 man cells off a central area that was separated from the guards quarters by a lockable steel mesh fence hair shaved on arrival uniform of T shirt having 3 digit number, loose trousers & sandals arrived one at a time told nothing - but NO VIOLENCE allowed list of rules & ‘prisoner rights’ posted on cell wall

Independent variables Permeability of roles Legitimacy of roles Cognitive alternatives

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Manipulated Variables: Permeability of roles prisoners & guards were told guards were selected on basis on reliability, trustworthiness, initiative BUT that test not perfect and that guards would watch out for prisoners who showed ‘guard like’ qualities - that promotion was possible on day 3. Thus all believed movement between groups was possible

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Manipulated Variables: Legitimacy of roles It was planned that on day 3 prisoners would be told that there were really no differences between prisoners & guards, but that it was impractical to reassign roles so the groups would stay the same. This would lead to the perception that group differences were not legitimate

Reicher & Haslam Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Manipulated Variables: Cognitive alternatives On the 4th day, a new prisoner, chosen because of his background as a Trade Union official, was introduced. It was expected that he would provide the skills required to organise ‘collective action’

Reicher & Haslam: Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: Specific research aims: TO: collect data on the development of social interactions between groups of unequal power analyse the conditions under which people (i) define themselves in terms of group memberships (ii) accept or challenge group inequalities analyse the relationships between social organisation & clinical factors in group behaviour develop an ethical framework for examining social psychological issues