EXPERIMENTS
Universe 25 (1947) Universe 25 was an experiment that created a 'Rat City', with unlimited resources, including food, water, and nesting material to create a Utopia. Even in an environment of abundance, overpopulation led to a breakdown of social norms, a "death of societal organisation," and ultimately a "death phase" characterised by a loss of reproductive instincts and complex behaviours.
The Milgram Experiment (1962) The Milgram experiment was a study investigating the extent to which individuals would obey the commands of an authority figure to administer what appeared to be increasingly painful electric shocks.
Most ordinary individuals will obey the instructions of an authority figure to administer what they believe are painful electric shocks to another person, even when they protest and express distress, highlighting the powerful influence of authority on behaviour.
Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) 24 male college students were randomly assigned to the roles of guards and prisoners in a mock prison setting to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power and loss of freedom, but it was ended prematurely after six days due to the unexpectedly rapid and disturbing ways in which the participants adopted their roles.
Asch Conformity Experiments (1951–1956) Participants were given a simple task: match the length of one line against another. However, the real participant was placed in a group with confederates (actors) who, on certain trials, unanimously gave an obviously incorrect answer. Despite the correct answer being clear, about 75% of participants conformed to the group’s wrong answer.
The Bystander Effect (Kitty Genovese Case, 1964–1968) The bystander effect describes how individuals are less likely to help someone in need when other people are present. This idea gained prominence after the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, where it was initially reported that many neighbours witnessed the attack but did not intervene. - the presence of others can lead to a 'diffusion of responsibility', where each person feels less personally obligated to help.
The Marshmallow Test (1970s–1980s) The marshmallow test presents children with a choice between one immediate marshmallow or two later to observe their ability to delay gratification, which research suggests correlates with later success in life.
Mental Illness on The Left (2020) The study identified a spectrum of mental well-being across political ideologies, showing that extremely conservative individuals exhibited the most favourable mental health with lower rates of mental illness and higher happiness compared to moderates, while extreme liberals consistently presented the least favourable outcomes with significantly higher mental illness risk and lower happiness.
Cognitive Dissonance Experiment (1954) The cognitive dissonance experiment demonstrated that individuals paid only one dollar for lying about a boring task tended to convince themselves it was enjoyable to reduce their internal conflict from insufficient justification, unlike those paid twenty dollars who felt their lie was justified and experienced no such dissonance.
Prospect Theory (1979) A behavioural economics theory describing how individuals make decisions under risk by evaluating potential gains and losses relative to a reference point, with losses felt more intensely than equivalent gains.
Misinformation Effect (1974–1978) The misinformation effect occurs when a person's memory for an event becomes less accurate due to information encountered after the event, and this can even lead to the creation of entirely false memories that feel real.
The Study of American Political Influence - Elites, Interest Groups, and Citizens (2014) A study revealing that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests exert substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy.
Conversely, average citizens and mass-based interest groups demonstrate little or no independent influence on policy outcomes. The majority does not rule in the causal sense, providing strong support for ELITE THEORY.