D Explanations for Obedience Flashcards
1
Q
What study looked into dispositional explanations for obedience?
A
Adorno (1960)
2
Q
What was the aim?
A
Adorno wanted to understand the anti-semitism of the Holocaust
3
Q
What was the procedure?
A
- Adorno et al. (1960) investigated the causes of obedient personality
- ‹ 2000 middle class white Americans took part
- Investigated unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups
- Developed several measuring scales, including an F - scale (fascism scale)
- Example from the F - scale includes ‘Obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn’
4
Q
What were the findings?
A
- There was a strong positive correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice
- Authoritarian people had a cognitive style that contained fixed stereotypes about other groups
- Authoritarian people showed excessive respect to those of higher status, and identified with ‘strong’ people
5
Q
What are authoritarian characteristics?
A
- Extremely obedient to authority
- Respect and submissiveness to authority
- Show contempt for people they see as inferior
- Uncomfortable with uncertainty: no grey areas
6
Q
What did Adorno conclude was the origin of the authoritarian personality?
A
- Formed in childhood, as a result of harsh parenting
- Characterised by conditional love - parents love and affection depends entirely on how a child behaves
- Creates resentment and hostility: displaced onto others (scapegoating)
