In the mid-twentieth century, social psychologists Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo conducted very influential and prominent experiments in the field which have had long lasting implications in our understanding of morality, independent decision making and perceptions of power over others. Though dated, each experiment lends to a discussion of dehumanization, which is rather common in our world today. This week, we welcome Naomi Ali to discuss some of the conclusions of both studies and how they might not be as black-and-white as some people might believe. How might the data be misinterpreted? What role did bias play in either experiment? Are people as helplessly suggestible as the studies might conclude?

Further Reading:

The Stanford Prison Experiment website

Psychologist World, "Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment"

Psychology Today, "The Rarely Told True Story of Zimbardo's Prison Experiment"

The New Yorker, "The Real Lesson of the Stanford Prison Experiment"