Question

Consider a situation where an authority figure asks participants (in the role of teacher) to administer increasingly higher level of shocks whenever the "learner" makes a mistake. How many people would administer the highest level of shock (450 volts) regardless of the pleas of the learner to stop?

A No one would continue to shock someone who begs for them to stop.
B All participants will continue to the end because they are told to.
C A few participants will continue to the end because of low self-esteem.
D More than half of participants will continue to shock until the end.

Answer 1

In the Milgram experiment, 65% of participants administered the maximum level of shock when instructed by an authority figure, showing strong obedience. Variations of the experiment with increased victim presence or reduced authority presence led to reduced obedience. The experiment raised significant ethical concerns due to the emotional distress caused to the participants.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering whether people would administer the highest level of shock in the scenario where an authority figure instructs them to do so, we refer to the findings from the Milgram experiment. In this experiment, it was observed that when the authority figure commanded, more than half of the participants (65%) continued to shock the learner to the maximum voltage of 450 volts, despite the learner's pleas to stop. This suggests a strong tendency of individuals to obey authority, even when it conflicts with personal conscience.

Variations of the experiment showed a decrease in obedience when the humanity of the person being shocked was increased, or the authority of the experimenter was decreased. For instance, when shocks were administered with the teacher and learner in the same room, or when orders were given over the phone, fewer participants delivered the highest shocks. This demonstrates that physical closeness and reduced authority presence affect people's obedience levels.

The ethical concerns raised by the Milgram experiment involved the extreme emotional distress faced by participants, who were led to believe they were genuinely administering shocks to others. Milgram's work has had a profound impact on understanding obedience to authority and the conditions that influence people's willingness to follow commands that contradict their moral values.