Question

In Stanley Milgram’s teacher-learner experiment, the subjects continued to administer the electric shocks because:___________.
a. they were chosen because of their sadistic tendencies.
b. they knew the learner was not really receiving any shocks.
c. they were told to do so by a person in authority.
d. they didn’t. As soon as they heard the learner shout in pain once, almost all participants stopped administering the shocks.

Answer 1

Answer:

c. they were told to do so by a person in authority.

Explanation:

• Stanley Milgram’s teacher-learner experiment was a unique experiment which aimed at understanding the conflict between listening to orders from an authority and listening to one's own conscience.

• This experiment was planned and conducted in such a way that the participants were given the power to administer electric shocks whenever the other person, who was actually a part of the team, made a mistake.

• Stanley Milgram in his experiment observed that subjects continued to administer the electric shocks because they were told to do so by a person in authority.  About 65% of the participants kept on administering electric shocks to the other person because they were simply following orders from an authority and not their own consciousness.