Describe the study in terms of the extent to which it supports a situational

explanation. [10]

The prison simulation study by Haney, Banks and Zimbardo supports the
situational hypothesis completely and goes against the dispositional hypothesis.
Before the study had begun, the participants answered a questionnaire with
extensive questions about their background. They also had to go through physical
and mental evaluations to ensure the participants were in the right shape to
participate in the study. By the end of it, the participants had acted completely
differently. They took on the roles assigned to them even though the was no
extensive instructions requiring them to do so. The guards took on their role of
power and were abusive towards the prisoners. They turned the rights of the
prisoners into privileges they had to earn with good behaviour. Their abuse
escalated during the night and at times was even pornographic. The prisoners on
the other hand lost their identities and this was mainly due to the situation they
were in, thus supporting the situational hypothesis. For example, when a priest
was brought in to speak to the prisoners, the prisoners referred to themselves by
their identification number instead of their names. They had also experienced
emasculation as they were emotionally abused and called sissies by the guards.
They became dependent on the guards for everything they needed, from eating
to going to the toilet. Initial evaluations showed healthy and stable young men but
less than a week in the simulated prison had turned them into completely
different people. This is proof that the situation a person is in is a great influence
on their attitude, rather than their personality itself.

Discuss the use of children in psychological research using the study as an

example. [10]

In the study on the Oedipus complex by Freud, the participant was a five year old
boy from Vienna, Austria. The Oedipus complex is an unconscious sexual desire
for the parent of the opposite sex and a wish to eliminate the parent of the same
sex. An advantage of using a child in this study is that their development can be
studied. The progress of the childs attitude before, during and after the Oedipus
complex can be followed. This is because, not only is the child constantly under
the surveillance of their parents, children are born innocent without knowing how
to lie. Therefore they are more likely to tell the truth when asked questions about
something. As there would be no demand characteristics present, the findings
from the study would be valid. On the contrary, there are disadvantages of using
a child in this study. As a child, little Hans may not be able to fully understand the
emotions he is feeling. He also might have found it difficult to find the right words
that exactly described the way he was feeling, what he had been thinking about
or what he wanted to say. Hans may have used words to describe his emotions
that werent precise and could have been misinterpreted by his parents of the
researcher. Hans also may have misunderstood the question asked by his parents,
and provided an answer he believed was right for the question. It is difficult to
truly understand or interpret the thoughts and emotions of a child because of the
communication barrier and this is one of the disadvantages of using children in
psychological research.