ABSTRACT
One of the most popular studies in social psychology is certainly the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE, Haney, Banks, & Zimbardo, 1973). One summer in the early 1970s, Zimbardo recruited volunteers to participate for 2 weeks in a simulated prison. Participants were randomly assigned to the role of guards and prisoners. The latter were simply told about the date of the beginning of the simulation. Guards received instructions and were screened for personality problems. The day the study started, prisoners were arrested at their home and thrown in real police cars with howling sirens. They were conducted to a police station where they went through the usual routine and, then, were sent to the simulated prison where guards were expecting them. Problems immediately started. Guards behaved increasingly aggressively, if not sadistically, and prisoners became completely apathetic. Some prisoners were so disturbed that they had to be replaced, and, finally, it was decided to stop the study after 6 days.
