Final answer:
Philip Zimbardo was the psychologist who set up the Stanford Prison Experiment, which was aimed at studying the psychological effects of perceived power and authoritarian roles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The psychologist who set up an experiment known as the Stanford Prison Experiment to examine the role of authority, where people played the roles of prison guards, was Philip Zimbardo. This social psychology experiment aimed to understand the psychological impacts of perceived power and authoritarian roles.In 1971, Philip Zimbardo and his team created a mock prison environment in the basement of Stanford University's psychology building. College student participants were randomly assigned to play the roles of either prisoners or guards. The experiment quickly deteriorated as participants absorbed their roles to an extreme degree, with guards exhibiting authoritarian and abusive behavior while prisoners showed signs of severe stress and hopelessness. Notably, even Zimbardo himself succumbed to his role as the prison superintendent. Due to these intense and unexpected reactions, the experiment was terminated prematurely after six days instead of the planned two weeks.The Stanford Prison Experiment has since become a classic study in social psychology, illustrating how social roles and settings can significantly alter behavior. It also brought to light significant ethical concerns within the realm of psychological research.