Final answer:
Milgram's study revealed that individuals are highly likely to follow authoritative instructions that conflict with their personal ethics, with nearly two-thirds willing to deliver potentially lethal shocks. This obedience to authority has been confirmed by subsequent research, suggesting it is a widespread and enduring psychological phenomenon.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stanley Milgram's experiment on obedience to authority figures, conducted in 1961 at Yale University, aimed to measure the willingness of participants to perform acts against their conscience under authoritative pressure. Milgram discovered that individuals are highly susceptible to the influence of authority figures. In his study, participants, believing they were administering electric shocks to others for incorrect answers, followed orders despite moral objections. Nearly two-thirds were willing to administer what they believed to be lethal shocks, showing a startling level of obedience to authority.
This phenomenon is not only a historical curiosity but also continues to be relevant in current times. Subsequent studies and replications, such as those conducted by Burger (2009) and Doliński et al. (2017), have shown similar results, indicating that the inclination to obey authority transcends cultural boundaries and persists across different settings, including the medical field.