Step 1: Understanding the Milgram Experiment.
The Milgram experiment was designed to study obedience to authority. Participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to a learner, even when the learner expressed distress. The experiment demonstrated the power of authority in compelling people to engage in behaviors they might normally consider unethical.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
- (A) Incorrect, while conformity is a related concept, Milgram's experiment specifically focused on obedience, not conformity.
- (B) Correct, the experiment studied obedience, which refers to following the commands or instructions of an authority figure.
- (C) Incorrect, deviance refers to actions that violate societal norms, which is not the focus of the Milgram experiment.
- (D) Incorrect, consciousness is unrelated to the specific focus of Milgram's experiment, which was on obedience.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (B) Obedience.