Authoritarian Peeosnlaity Flashcards
A01
-The Authoritarian personality provides an explanation as to why some individuals require little pressure to Obey
The f scale is how facist someone is and is used to measure the different components that make up an Authoritarian personality such as rigid figures and see things in black and White
-Agreeing with statements on this scale such as ‘Obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues that Children should learn’was an indicative of an authoritarian personality
-Adorno et al found that people who scored high on the F scale tended to grow up in an authoritarian parenting style with a
Strong emphasis on Obedience, classed this as the norm
Right Wing authoritarianism (RWA)
personality characteristics that predispose people to obedience:
Conventionalism -an adherence to conventional norms and values
Authoritarian Aggression -aggressive feelings towards those that violate those norms
Authoritarian Submission -uncritical submission to legitimate authorities
Altemeyer Research on RNA-
tested RWA and Obedience by telling pps to shock themselves When they made a mistake on the learning task
↑ Red button that said do not push unless told to do so
After the experiment they were told to push the button for not trying at a high voltage.
↑ Despite their levels ef RWA the majority did so.
Key study: Elms and Milgram
· A follow up study of 20 disobedient and 20 Obedient PPS from Milgram study
Each pp completed a MmpI scale and a F Scale
They were then asked open-ended questions about their upbringing and attitude to the experimenter and learner in Milgram Study
Findings
little difference between MMPI scores from both conditions
· Higher levels of authoritanism amongst obedient than disobedient pps
· Obedient pps reported to be less close to their fathers during childhood and saw the authority figure as more, admirable than the learner
Conclusion
This suggests that the obedient group was higher in the trait of authoritarianism’this maybe why they continued to the highest voltage In the original study
What does the authoritarian personality aim to explain in relation to obedience?
The authoritarian personality provides an explanation as to why some individuals require little pressure to obey.
What is the F Scale and what does it measure?
The F Scale is used to measure how fascist someone is and the different components that make up an authoritarian personality, such as rigid figures and seeing things in black and white.
What is an example of a statement on the F Scale that indicates an authoritarian personality?
Agreeing with statements like ‘Obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues that children should learn’ was indicative of an authoritarian personality.
What did Adorno et al. find about people who scored high on the F Scale?
Adorno et al. found that people who scored high on the F Scale tended to grow up in an authoritarian parenting style with a strong emphasis on obedience, which was classed as the norm.
What are the three characteristics of Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)?
The three characteristics of RWA are:
- Conventionalism – adherence to conventional norms and values
- Authoritarian Aggression – aggressive feelings towards those that violate those norms
- Authoritarian Submission – uncritical submission to legitimate authorities
What did Altemeyer’s RWA study involve?
Altemeyer tested RWA and obedience by telling participants to shock themselves when they made a mistake on a learning task and included a red button that said ‘Do not push unless told to do so’.
What were the results of Altemeyer’s RWA study regarding obedience?
Despite their levels of RWA, the majority of participants pushed the button for not trying at a high voltage when told to.
What was the aim of the Elms and Milgram follow-up study?
The aim was to compare 20 disobedient and 20 obedient participants from Milgram’s original study by measuring their authoritarian traits using the MMPI scale and F Scale, and asking about upbringing and attitudes to the authority figure and learner.
What did Elms and Milgram find regarding MMPI and F Scale results?
They found little difference between MMPI scores but higher levels of authoritarianism among the obedient participants compared to the disobedient ones.
What did obedient participants in Elms and Milgram’s study report about their upbringing?
Obedient participants reported being less close to their fathers during childhood and saw the authority figure as more admirable than the learner.
What conclusion was drawn from Elms and Milgram’s study?
The conclusion was that the obedient group was higher in the trait of authoritarianism, which may explain why they continued to the highest voltage in the original Milgram study.
What is a strength of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience that involves supporting evidence, and how does this link to reliability?
P: A strength of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience is that there is supporting evidence.
E: Researchers used an ‘immersive virtual environment’ and found that participants still responded as if the situation was real, with a significant correlation between Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) scores and the maximum shock level administered.
E: This shows the link between authoritarianism and obedience, as the obedient participants displayed higher levels of RWA. This strengthens the reliability of the explanation by demonstrating consistent behavioural patterns.
What is a weakness of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience based on the idea that social context is more important, and how does this relate to validity?
P: A weakness of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience is that social context is more important than personality traits.
E: Milgram showed that variations in the social context of the study (e.g., location) were the primary cause of differences in participants’ levels of obedience, not variations in personality.
E: This suggests that relying on authoritarianism lacks the flexibility to account for situational changes. Therefore, it lacks validity, as it may not explain obedience in all contexts.
What is a weakness of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience based on individual differences, and how does this affect the representativeness of the explanation?
P: A weakness of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience is that it doesn’t account for individual differences.
E: For example, obedient participants in Milgram’s study reported having good relationships with their parents, rather than the harsh upbringing associated with authoritarian personality.
E: This suggests that, given the large number of fully obedient participants, it’s implausible that all of them had authoritarian upbringings. This means the explanation lacks representation, reducing its generalisability.
What is a weakness of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience based on the role of education, and how does this challenge the validity of the explanation?
P: A weakness of the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience is that education may be a more significant factor than personality.
E: Researchers found that less-educated individuals are more likely to be authoritarian than well-educated individuals. Milgram also found that participants with lower education levels tended to be more obedient.
E: This shows that instead of authoritarianism causing obedience, a lack of education might explain both. Therefore, the explanation lacks validity.
