The warden is not in the death chamber just to wish the condemned a farewell.

Question

But it is complex, as Guru states.

Alex is most likely to obey an authority
figure's command to hurt someone if:

A.He is the only one available to carry
out the order.
B.The authority figure is nearby,
observing Alex's response.
C.The victim is in the same room
with Alex.
D.Alex and the authority figure are of
similar status in the group.

Which would be correct? I am thinking
the answer is B.

Probably B. However, there would be a huge number of other psychological, educational, ethical influences at work to determine how this question would be answered. Whew! that is a very complex question.

Years ago a professor conducted an experiment to see if normal young adults could be ordered to give electric shocks to another person. The findings, as reported in this article, is that a nearby authority figure who orders this treatment, had a lot of influence. B seems to be the best answer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

Here is a study done with pharmacy students:

http://jme.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/30/3/293