Quantitative data

Responses on a measure of perceived group leadership revealed a significant statistical interaction between group and phase. Further analysis indicated there was a significant difference in the perceived leadership of the Guards and the Prisoners on Day 2, but no such difference on Day 6 (indeed, the pattern here had slightly reversed).

  • Haslam, S. A. & Reicher, S. D. (2007). Identity entrepreneurship and the consequences of identity failure: The dynamics of leadership in the BBC Prison Study. Social Psychology Quarterly, 70, 125-147.
At the start of the study Guards showed more leadership than Prisoners, but over time this pattern reversed

At the start of the study Guards showed more leadership than Prisoners, but over time this pattern reversed