It is likely that participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments (conducted in the 1960s and 1970s) were willing to administer increasingly severe shocks to a confederate learner because when confronted with a confusing, unfamiliar, and upsetting situation, they would turn to the experimenter for cues as to how to proceed. This speculation in essence identifies __________ as a source of participants' destructive obedience.
A) social norms
B) normative social influence
C) informational social influence
D) latent sadism

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The participants were likely influenced by the information provided by the experimenter, who informed them that it was necessary to continue administering shocks in order to complete the experiment. This informational social influence led them to believe that their actions were justified and necessary. Social norms and normative social influence may have played a role in shaping participants' behavior, but they are not identified as the primary source of destructive obedience in this scenario. Latent sadism is a possible individual-level explanation, but it is not explicitly mentioned in the question stem.

It Is Likely That Participants in Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiments