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Findings of the Stanford Prison Experiment

The primary finding of the Stanford Prison Experiment was that situational factors are a powerful determinant of behavior, often overriding individual personality traits. Participants quickly adopted their assigned social roles, with 'guards' becoming abusive and 'prisoners' becoming passive and distressed. This powerful conformity to social scripts extended even to the lead researcher, Philip Zimbardo, who became so immersed in his role as 'prison supervisor' that he lost his scientific objectivity and began to act as if the situation were real.

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Updated 2025-10-12

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