The study described in the question refers to the Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted in 1971 by psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University. This experiment was designed to examine the psychological effects of perceived power, authority, and institutional roles on human behavior.
In the experiment, college students were randomly assigned the roles of prisoners and guards within a simulated prison environment set up in the university basement. Despite careful screening to ensure participants were mentally healthy, the situation quickly escalated.
Participants began to internalize their assigned roles. Guards exhibited abusive, authoritarian behavior, while prisoners showed signs of extreme stress, emotional distress, and helplessness. These dramatic changes occurred not because of individual personality traits, but due to the situational pressures and power dynamics embedded in the institutional setting.
The experiment was terminated early due to ethical concerns, and it has since become a landmark study in psychology. It is frequently cited in discussions on abuse of power, institutional accountability, ethics in research, and the impact of social roles on behavior.
The other options listed involve different psychological studies—obedience to authority (Milgram), intergroup conflict (Robbers Cave), and social learning (Bobo Doll)—but none match the simulated prison context described in the question.
Hence, the correct answer is:
\(\boxed{(b)\ \text{The Stanford Prison Experiment}}\)
Trump's Triple Whammy on India
US president Donald Trump has landed a triple whammy on India by torpedoing the H-1B visa programme, days after revoking sanctions waiver on Chabahar port in Iran and weeks after imposing a 50% tariff on Indian exports to the US. The White House also maintained a conspicuous silence on the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia mutual defence treaty amid reports that neither country informed Washington of the pact, suggesting a growing US indifference to India's concerns. The triple blow has shaken US-India ties to the foundation, mystifying experts who expected a reset after an exchange of friendly messages between Modi and Trump. While some observers see in the crackdown on H-1B a pressure tactic to make India bend on the trade deal, sources familiar with the dynamics of the current White House say the two issues are unrelated and Trump was convinced of the need to “reform” the guest worker visa programme ever since MAGA hardliners persuaded him that American workers were being gamed out of jobs by foreign companies and US big tech acting in tandem. (174 words)
[Extracted from the newspaper, The Times of India, September 21, 2025]