In the Stanford Prison Experiment, what sociological concept did the study most clearly demonstrate?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When approaching the Stanford Prison Experiment question, it helps to focus on what the study was designed to illustrate about social influence and conformity.
Option 1: The power of social roles and norms to influence behavior. This is the central takeaway of the Stanford Prison Experiment: participants adopted behaviors aligned with assigned roles (prison guards and prisoners) and conformed to expected norms, revealing how powerful situational forces and social roles can be in shaping actions. 
Option 2: The impact of individual intelligence on moral decision-making. The experiment did not primarily address differences in intelligence; it examined situational influences and role-induced behavior rather than cognitive ability as a predictor of moral choices. 
Option 3: The importance of genetic predispositions in shaping personality. The study emphasized situational dynamics over innate traits, showing that ordinary people can engage in abusive or submissive behavior due to the environment, not because of fixed genetic predispositions. 
Option 4: How individuals actively manage social isolation. While the setup involved separation and control by guards, the key insight was not about managing isolation per se but about how roles and authority influence behavior in a group context. 
Thus, the most accurate interpretation centers on how social roles and norms can steer behavior in a controlled social setting.

SOC001 Lecture SOC 001 Midterm Exam

In the Stanford Prison Experiment, what sociological concept did the study most clearly demonstrate?

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