Dispositional Explanation Flashcards
Who conducted RTS?
Milgram and Elms
What did Milgram and Elms do?
They interviewed ppts who took part in Milgram’s experiment and asked them to complete the F scale questionnaire to measure their levels of authoritarianism
What did Milgram and Elms find?
They found higher levels of authoritarianism among those participants classified as obedient compared to those classed as defiant
Who criticised this research and what did they criticise it for?
Adorno - criticised for social desirability
Why may it have social desirability?
Ppts may have exaggerated their fascist views on the F scale questionnaire to present themselves in the best possible light as they did it just after WW2 so would have wanted to maximise any fascist views - reducing internal val
What has the dispositional explanation been criticised for?
Being a limited explanation as it is difficult to use personality as an explanation in most of a country’s population
What is an example of it being a limited explanation?
In pre-war Germany, millions of individuals displayed obedient, racist and anti-semitic behaviour - it is like the individuals would have differed somewhat in their personalities and very unlikely that they all possessed an authoritarian personality - casting doubt
What is an alternative explanation?
Situational factors
