Milgram's obedience studies demonstrated the power of authority; which statement best reflects the finding?

• A. They readily resist authority and refuse harmful commands.
• B. They comply with authority even when it conflicts with their moral beliefs.
• C. They only follow orders when they are personally familiar with the consequences.
• D. They prioritize peer opinions over authority figures.

Answer: (B)

Obedience to authority is about people following orders from a legitimate authority figure even when those orders go against their own moral beliefs. In Milgram’s studies, ordinary participants were told to administer increasingly painful shocks to a learner at the direction of an experimenter who appeared to have legitimate authority. Many continued delivering shocks despite hearing the learner’s distress, showing that the situational influence of an authority figure can override personal moral judgment. This demonstrates why the best statement is that they comply with authority even when it conflicts with their moral beliefs—the core finding about the power of authoritative pressure. The other ideas don’t fit Milgram’s results, which documented strong obedience rather than widespread resistance, independence from moral considerations, or peer influence taking precedence over authority.