SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
How can social psychology be studied from a scientific perspective? (Describe in this question two famous social psychology studies from an ethical perspective). -500 words-
Critically review the following studies referring to BPS rules of ethics and conduct, consider how this has changed scientific experimental designs over time. -300 words-
Study 1:
In 1971, Philip Zimbardo conducted the Standford Prison Experiment by recruiting 24 male subjects from a college.
He divided the recluses into two groups. One of the groups was the one who would play the role of the prisoner, while the other was the one who would play the role of the guard. The objective of the experiment was to “imitate” or recreate the life experience in prison. Both prisoners and guards were given clear and precise instructions on their roles. On the second day in the group of prisoners, the rebellion begins, ignoring the subjects who played the role of guards. The guards were instructed not to use violence against “prisoners”. Thus, the guards divided the prisoners into good and bad ones, moreover, by imposing sanctions such as sitting, raising, turning or isolating, and even further, the public embarrassment of the imprisoned subjects who had problematic behaviour.
Zimbardo demonstrated that, under certain circumstances, people would take their role to the point of acting in an unethical manner. It is a classic study on the power of the social situation.
Study 2:
In 1966, psychologists Mark Seligman and Steven Maier conducted a series of experiments on dogs. The animals were placed in three cages. The control group was released after a while without causing any harm, the second group of animals was subjected to repeated blows that could be stopped by pressing the lever from the inside, and the animals from the third group were subjected to sudden blows that could not be prevented. As a result, the dogs developed so-called “acquired impotence”, based on the conviction of impotence in front of the outside world. The animals soon began to show signs of clinical depression. After a while, the dogs from the third group were released from their cages and placed in open spaces, from which one could easily escape. The dogs were electrocuted again, but none of them even thought of running away. The dogs learned from previous negative experiences that escape was impossible and made no attempt to escape from the cage. Scientists have suggested that the human response to stress is very much like a dog: humans become powerless after several failures.
Respond critically the following studies referring to British Psychological Society rules of ethics and conduct, consider how this has changed scientific experimental designs over time. Use BPS resource for it. -300 words-
Study 1:
Kurt Lewin’s legacy is his study where he identified three major leadership styles. Lewin’s used a group of school children in his research and determined the following three leadership styles: Authoritarian (Autocratic), Participative (Democratic), Delegative (Laissez-Faire). Based on the results of his research, he established that authoritarian leaders make decisions without or with very little input from the rest of the group. This kind of leadership is useful for situations where there is very little time for group decision making but it tends to create dysfunctional and dictatorial environments which can be detrimental to the rest of the group. Participative leadership style is where the group members are encouraged by the group leader to make inputs and participate in the decision making process. This leadership model is considered the most effective out of the three models. The third leadership model, determined by Lewin is the Delegative (Laissez-Faire) leadership style, where the group leader was nominated/delegated by the group members. This leadership style was proven to be the most ineffective.
Style 2:
Leon Festinger proposed a new idea of cognitive thinking which led to a so-called “cognitive revolution”. Festinger in his research, instead of focusing on the external behaviour of individuals, emphasized the mental process behind the deviant conducts caused by psychological tensions due to inner conflicts. This was revolutionary at the time and brought social psychology to a new level. Festinger established the cognitive dissonance theory in his book. Cognitive dissonance is where one knows that a certain act is harmful still carries it out it regardless. Smoking is of the examples of cognitive dissonance, where the individual knows that smoking causes cancer, however due to habitual involvement the individual continues to smoke.
