What was the main hypothesis of Zimbardo's Prison study?

The main hypothesis of Zimbardo's Prison study was centered on the dispositional versus situational hypothesis, which posits that human behavior is strongly influenced by situational factors rather than just dispositional traits or personality. Zimbardo aimed to demonstrate how the social environment and authority roles could lead individuals to act in ways that are inconsistent with their typical behavior. In this study, participants were assigned roles as either guards or prisoners, and their behaviors were monitored to see how much the context influenced their actions.

The findings highlighted that those assigned to be guards adopted abusive behaviors, while the prisoners became submissive, illustrating the power of situational influences on behavior. This stark transformation underscored Zimbardo's interest in the situational factors that can lead to extreme behavior, rather than merely attributing those behaviors to personal characteristics.