The piece of evidence that best supports the idea that dehumanization increases immoral behavior is B:
"Bandura found students were more apt to deliver what they believed were increased levels of electrical shock to the other students if they had heard them called 'animals.'" (Paragraph 8)
Here's why:
- Dehumanization Defined: Dehumanization involves perceiving others as less than human, such as labeling them as "animals," which reduces empathy and moral concern.
- Bandura's Experiment: This study explicitly tested the effect of dehumanizing language on participants' willingness to administer what they thought were harmful shocks to others.
- Findings: Those participants who heard others labeled as "animals" were more likely to increase the perceived level of shocks, showing a direct link between dehumanization and increased immoral behavior.
While other options demonstrate obedience to authority (A), effects of situational roles and peer pressure (C), or the importance of situational forces in moral behavior (D), they do not as directly connect dehumanization itself with increased immoral behavior as Bandura's study does.
Therefore, option B provides the clearest and most direct evidence that dehumanizing others facilitates immoral actions.