Dispositional explanation: the Authoritarian Personality

Question 1

Definition

Answer 1

Relates to somebody who is highly obedient and thus more likely to follow orders to do evil acts

Question 2

characteristics

Answer 2

extreme respect for authority, show contempt to those below them, conventional and traditional attitudes on sex, race, gender, religion and family. They are inflexible in their attitudes.

Question 3

Upbringing

Answer 3

Experienced harsh parenting in childhood that involves strict discipline, high standards, high loyalty, severe criticism of failings and conditional love.

Question 4

Adorno et al (1950)

Answer 4

gave 2000 white middle class Americans the F-scale, a questionnaire that measures authoritarian personality. Found that people with a high score were more likely to be prejudice.

Question 5

Evaluation weakness: correlational

Answer 5

there many be other factors (causation)

Question 6

Evaluation weakness: oversimplifies Nazi behaviour

Answer 6

Not all of them would of had an authoritarian personality

Question 7

Evaluation weakness: not generalisable

Answer 7

White middle class American males do not represent the views of all the people in the world.

Question 8

Evaluation weakness: questionnaire

Answer 8

The more people agree with the statements, the more authoritarian they are. Thus demand characteristics and social desirability bias.