The Stanford Prison Experiment, Recreated as a Reality Show on Netflix
Published
The streaming platform Netflix has launched a six-episode reality television series that recreates the Stanford prison experiment. The series brings back into public attention one of the best-known studies in the history of psychology.
The original experiment was carried out in 1971 by psychologist Philip Zimbardo, at Stanford University in the United States. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: guards and prisoners. They were placed in a space arranged as a prison, in the basement of the university. The experiment was meant to last two weeks, but it was stopped after just six days because of the aggressive behaviour of some participants.
In the new version, the experiment is presented in a television format, with participants and with action followed by cameras. The producers chose to turn the study into an entertainment show, which makes it accessible to a wide audience, especially young people who usually watch series on online platforms.
The original experiment has been criticised over time from both an ethical and a methodological point of view. Many researchers have argued that the results cannot be generalised and that participants were influenced by those who conducted the study. For this reason, the study remains a subject of debate in academia, and the new series offers a fresh opportunity to discuss the limits of experiments in psychology.
Sources: BBC
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