Final answer:
Background expectancies, as defined by Harold Garfinkel, are the implicit rules and norms that govern social behavior, not individual preferences. These unspoken rules are essential for people to interpret each other's actions and coordinate interactions predictably.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Harold Garfinkel, background expectancies are not individual preferences, as mentioned in option d, but rather the implicit, enduring rules and norms that guide behavior in everyday interactions. Garfinkel's work, particularly in his breaching experiments, reveals that background expectancies are our shared assumptions about how people should act in a given social context. These unspoken rules are what enable members of society to interpret the actions of others predictably and to coordinate social interactions smoothly.
Garfinkel's studies formed the core of his teachings in ethnomethodology, a branch of sociology focused on how people understand and produce social order in routine circumstances. By purposefully breaking social norms, Garfinkel's experiments were designed to uncover these background expectancies. When norms were breached, it often resulted in confusion and discomfort, highlighting how deeply embedded these rules are in our social interaction and how much we rely on them for social coherence.
One notable example by another researcher that illustrates the conformity to social expectations is the Conforming to Expectations experiment by psychologist Solomon Asch in 1951. Asch demonstrated how social pressure could influence a subject to conform to the incorrect judgment of others, revealing the power of social forces in shaping individual behavior. In sum, Garfinkel's concept of background expectancies far exceeds mere personal preferences. It speaks to the foundational and often invisible guidelines that structure the very essence of social life and interaction.