Final answer:
The 'teachers' in Milgram's experiments were most likely to deliver high levels of shock when they received explicit instructions from authority figures. The experiments demonstrated that a significant majority were willing to cause potential harm under direction from an authoritative presence, revealing deep insights into obedience to authority.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments, the "teachers" were most likely to deliver high levels of shock when they received explicit instructions from authority figures (Choice C). Milgram's research, notably influenced by the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, sought to understand the extent to which individuals would follow orders that conflicted with their moral compass. The experiments demonstrated that a significant majority of participants were willing to administer what they believed to be lethal electric shocks when prompted by an authority figure, even if it caused them distress. Milgram found that nearly two-thirds of his subjects obeyed the commands to the point of potentially causing serious harm to another person.
Milgram's work received further validation through various modifications of the experiment that indicated higher rates of obedience when the authority of the experimenter was more direct and immediate. Conversely, when the humanity of the person being shocked was made more evident or the authority of the experimenter was decreased, obedience levels significantly dropped. This landmark study in social psychology has provided profound insights into the power of authority and its impact on obedience.