Final answer:
In Milgram's experiments, the correct answer is e: "learner"; experimenter, as the participants were conflicted between following the experimenter's instructions and responding to the learner's distress. This demonstrated the strong influence of authority on obedience, even when actions conflict with personal morals.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Milgram's experiments, participants were torn between whether they should respond to the pleas of the "learner" or the demands of the experimenter. The correct answer is e: "learner"; experimenter.
Stanley Milgram wanted to test the limits of obedience to authority by seeing if individuals would carry out actions they found morally reprehensible when directed by an authority figure. Participants, fulfilling the role of "teacher," were instructed to administer increasingly severe electric shocks to "learners" whenever they answered questions incorrectly. Despite the learners’ (who were confederates in the experiment and not receiving real shocks) pleas and display of pain, the majority of participants continued to deliver shocks when urged by the experimenter. This conflict highlights a powerful observation regarding human behavior, authority, and conscience.