Final answer:
The correct answer is option a) Obedience to authority and the effects of punishment on learning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The classic Milgram Experiment was a study of obedience to authority conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram in 1961. This investigation aimed to understand how far individuals would go in complying with instructions given by an authority figure, even when these actions conflicted with their personal conscience. In essence, the Milgram Experiment involved participants believing they were administering electric shocks to another person for incorrect answers during a learning task. Despite the ethical concerns that arose due to the emotional distress participants experienced, the study significantly elaborated on our understanding of human obedience, showing a high tendency to follow orders despite moral objections.
The participants in the Milgram Experiment were not aware that the learners were actually confederates of the experiment and that the administered shocks were not real. The implications of this research were profound, demonstrating that a majority of participants were willing to deliver what they believed to be lethal shocks, solely on the instructions of the experimenter in a lab coat, whom they perceived as an authority figure.