In 1971, 24 young male volunteers were randomly assigned to the roles of "inmates" and "guards" in a pretend prison in the basement of Stanford University's psychology department. The situation ...

SAN FRANCISCO — Philip G. Zimbardo, the psychologist behind the controversial “Stanford Prison Experiment” that was intended to examine the psychological experiences of imprisonment, has died.

Philip G. Zimbardo, the psychologist behind the controversial “Stanford Prison Experiment” that was intended to examine the psychological experiences of imprisonment, has died. He was 91.

Philip Zimbardo, creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment, died in October 2024. He is pictured here in 1994. Courtesy L.A. Cicero via Stanford University.

In 1971, 24 young male volunteers were randomly assigned to the roles of “inmates” and “guards” in a pretend prison in the basement of Stanford University’s psychology department. The ...

Philip G. Zimbardo, the psychologist behind the controversial “Stanford Prison Experiment” that was intended to examine the psychological experiences of imprisonment, has died. He was 91.

Philip G. Zimbardo, the psychologist behind the controversial “Stanford Prison Experiment” that was intended to examine the psychological experiences of imprisonment, has died. He was 91.

An infamous ‘prison’ in a university basement. You’ve likely heard of the Stanford prison experiment. In 1971, 24 young male volunteers were randomly assigned to the roles of “inmates” and “guards” in ...