Final answer:
The torture at Abu Ghraib was similar to the Stanford prison experiment, demonstrating the influence of social roles and environment on behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Zimbardo, the torture at Abu Ghraib was shockingly similar to the Stanford prison experiment. Philip Zimbardo's infamous 1971 study involved college students randomly assigned to act as prisoners or guards in a mock prison setting. The participants quickly embodied their roles, with the guards enacting cruel and abusive behaviors towards the prisoners, leading to the early termination of the experiment due to ethical concerns.
This situation parallels the events at Abu Ghraib prison, where soldiers acted with similar cruelty towards prisoners. Zimbardo himself has drawn comparisons between the two, suggesting that social roles and the environment can greatly influence individual behavior.