Final answer:
Stanley Milgram tested obedience to authority by instructing participants to deliver electric shocks to learners for incorrect answers, demonstrating that two-thirds would obey even against their conscience. His research revealed the profound influence of authority on obedience.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted an experiment at Yale University to measure the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure, even when it conflicts with their personal conscience.
Participants, in the role of "teachers," were instructed to administer electric shocks to "learners" for every incorrect answer to a word-pair question. The shocks increased in 15-volt increments up to 450 volts.
The teachers were unaware that the learners were confederates and that no actual shocks were being administered. The participants' compliance was being tested, not their teaching ability or the learners' memory.
The main conclusion of Milgram's research was shocking. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the participants were willing to administer the highest level of shock, despite the apparent distress of the learners.
This phenomenon demonstrated a profound level of obedience to authority figures, suggesting that the power of authority is strong enough to make individuals act against their moral beliefs.
For instance, when the humanity of the learner was increased, when the authority of the experimenter was decreased, or when the setting of the experiment was moved to a less formal environment, participants were less likely to deliver the highest shocks.