Core Components

Welcome to the Stanford Prison Experiment simulation, where we explore how ordinary people respond when placed in positions of power or powerlessness. This unique simulation uses AI Agents to create genuine, unscripted interactions between guards and prisoners, allowing us to observe how roles and power dynamics naturally emerge.

The Flow of Time

As time passes in our simulation, you'll witness how relationships and behaviors naturally evolve. Each day brings new situations and challenges, and just like in the original experiment, we don't know exactly how our participants will respond. Morning roll calls might be tense or routine, afternoon interactions could reveal surprising alliances, and night shifts might show unexpected behaviors from both guards and prisoners.

The timeline lets you observe these organic developments as they happen. You'll see natural shifts in how people speak, move, and interact. Some changes might be dramatic - a guard suddenly becoming strict, a prisoner unexpectedly standing up to authority. Others might be subtle - changing patterns of speech, evolving group dynamics, or slowly developing tensions.

Natural Interactions

At the heart of this simulation are the spontaneous conversations and interactions between participants. Each AI participant develops their own unique personality and way of handling their role. Some guards might naturally tend toward strictness, while others might struggle with their authority. Prisoners might develop different coping strategies, form unexpected alliances, or find unique ways to maintain their sense of identity.

These interactions aren't scripted or predetermined. Just as in the real experiment, we're observers watching how people naturally adapt to their roles. When you witness a guard giving orders or a prisoner responding, you're seeing the result of each AI participant's individual development and their natural responses to the situation they find themselves in.

The Prison Environment

The prison setting provides the context where these natural behaviors emerge. Through our interactive map, you can observe how different participants choose to use and respond to their environment. Some might claim certain areas as their territory, while others might create informal gathering spaces. The way participants move through and use the space evolves naturally based on their developing relationships and roles.

You'll see how different areas of the prison take on meaning through use and interaction. Cells might become personal territories or shared spaces of resistance. Guard stations might develop different atmospheres depending on who's on duty. Common areas might become sites of tension or cooperation, depending on how relationships naturally develop.

Emerging Behaviors

As you explore the simulation, you'll witness how different patterns of behavior emerge spontaneously. Some guards might naturally gravitate toward stricter control, while others might develop more cooperative approaches. Prisoners might form unexpected alliances, develop unique ways of maintaining their dignity, or find different ways of coping with their situation.

These behaviors aren't programmed - they emerge naturally from each AI participant's individual responses to their situation. Through the simulation, we can observe how quickly and naturally people adapt to new roles, and how power dynamics develop without external direction.

Contemporary Relevance

While we're observing a recreation of a 1971 experiment, the insights we gain are deeply relevant to modern situations. The simulation helps us understand how power structures naturally emerge in any group, how authority affects behavior, and how institutional roles can shape individual actions.

This understanding is valuable because similar dynamics continue to emerge in contemporary settings - from workplaces to schools to any situation where people hold authority over others. By observing how these dynamics develop naturally in our simulation, we can better understand and address them in real-world situations.

Your Role as Observer

As you explore this simulation, you become part of a unique opportunity to observe how power dynamics and institutional behaviors emerge naturally. You're not watching a predetermined script - you're witnessing the genuine development of relationships, authority structures, and coping mechanisms.

The simulation encourages you to think about fundamental questions: How do people naturally adapt when given power? What causes someone to resist or conform to authority? How do group dynamics emerge without external direction? These questions are as relevant today as they were in 1971.

Making Connections

Throughout your experience, you'll have the opportunity to observe how institutional behaviors develop naturally and draw parallels to modern situations. The simulation helps us understand not just what happens when people are placed in positions of power or powerlessness, but how and why these dynamics emerge on their own.

Remember, while we know the broad outlines of the original experiment, each run of our simulation is unique. The AI participants develop their own patterns of behavior, their own relationships, and their own ways of handling their roles. This unpredictability helps us understand the true complexity of human behavior in institutional settings.