Stanford prison experiment

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Philip Zimbardo created a mock prison in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford University and randomly selected students to play prisoners and guards. The “prisoners” wore shabby work clothes, shackles, and nylon stocking caps, and were assigned serial numbers instead of names. The “guards” soon began treating them cruelly, sitting on their backs as they did sit-ups, spraying them with fire extinguishers, and making them clean toilets with their bare hands. Zimbardo stopped the experiment for the participants’ safety. —The Blank Slate