Episode 274: The Stanford Prison Experiment

In 1971, the Stanford Prison Experiment, led by psychologist Phillip Zimbardo, was supposed to be a two week simulation of prison life that aimed to study the psychological effects of power and authority. Student volunteers were randomly assigned to be prisoners or guards and were given instruction by Zimbardo based on their role. Once the experiment began, things very quickly escalated, leading to the study being terminated after only six days.