But as with previous experiments in which random members of the public have been asked to play prison guard or interrogator, Dr Fast's result suggests that many quite ordinary people will succumb to bad behaviour if the circumstances are right.

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Using a series of experiments on both business executives and a random selection of adults, Brescoll et al found that after the fact, firms that conveyed an empathetic, responsibility-taking message ended up losing much less public trust than those taking more defensive or noncommittal stances.

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