Philip Zimbardo: Beyond the Stanford Prison Experiment

stanford prison experiment

Dr. Philip Zimbardo is one of the most notorious names in psychology. He is best known for his 2-week experiment in 1971 on prison life: an experiment that had to be cut short when normal, everyday college students acting as guards meted out inhuman treatment to other college students acting as prisoners. Although Dr. Zimbardo spent most of his … Read more

You’re more of a conformist than you think

Asch Conformity experiment - why hipsters look alike

In the 1950’s Solomon Asch undertook a series of landmark experiments that revealed the extent to which conformity rules our lives The original experiment In the aftermath of World War II, a Polish social psychology researcher was trying to find the answer to a very simple question about human behavior –Would a person agree with their friends and colleagues, even if they knew that these … Read more

The infamous experiment that shocked the world

Stanley Milgram experiment electric shock

Stanley Milgram shocked the world with his infamous social psychology experiments on obedience The villain of the Harry Potter book series, Lord Voldemort, used a thought altering spell to persuade others to obey his commands. Real world villains throughout history have not had this advantage.  Nevertheless many have instilled a similar level of obedience in their underlings, often … Read more