MEPX
Chapter 9 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Situations over character
  2. 2Conformity
  3. 3Obedience
  4. 4Groups
  5. 5Influence
  6. 6Helping and the bystander effect
  7. 7Prejudice and contact
  8. 8The social self
  9. 9Which classics survived
  10. 10Where it is used

Chapter 9 of 10

Which classics survived

An honest scorecard.

Weakened or discredited

The Stanford prison experiment was compromised by coaching. Ego depletion, many priming effects and power posing failed to replicate. Several textbook staples are being rewritten.

  • Milgram survives with caveats about method and interpretation.
  • Asch and the fundamental attribution error have held up well.

How to read the field

Prefer meta-analyses and pre-registered replications over famous single studies. In this area especially, the most retold experiment is not the most reliable one.