Explain what two conflicting norms operated in Stanley Milgram's classic obedience experiments. Also explain why one norm was more likely to be obeyed than the other

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: Participants were caught between two conflicting norms; on one hand, it is wrong to inflict needless pain on an undeserving victim, and on the other hand, it is right to obey authority figures. At the beginning of the experiment—when shocks were mild and the learner did not complain or fall silent—it was relatively easy to follow the "obey authority" norm. As the learner's pain and protests grew stronger, it became hard to abandon that norm for the alternative "Do no harm" norm. First, the experiment was fast-paced (participants didn't have time to think about their values and the other norm) and second, participants were asked to deliver shocks in small increments (which made each previous shock a kind of justification for subsequent shocks).