Dispositional Obedience - AP and Elms & Milgram

Question 1

Adorno et al (1950)

Answer 1

• Questionnaire known as the F-Scale (Fascism scale)
• Developed to measure if you have an Authoritarian Personality
• Adorno - Marxist philosopher

Question 1

Right-Wing Authoritarianism

Answer 1

• Adorno - RWA due to learning from/imitating strict parents, so you need to seek and obey authority
• Altemeier (1981) created 3 clusters of traits: Conventionalism, Authoritarian Aggression, Authoritarian Submission

Question 2

Altemeier’s 3 personality clusters

Answer 2

• Conventionalism - obeying to preserve order
• Authoritarian Aggression - Punish failure and difference
• Authoritarian Submission - Give in to authority

Question 3

Altemeier (1981)

Answer 3

• Replicated Milgram, but this time participants were told to shock themselves for wrong answers because they ‘hadn’t done a good job’
• More than 80% obeyed this
• Most did this regardless of RWA

Question 4

MMPI

Answer 4

• Less politically charged test for authoritarian personality
• Considers Left-Wing Authoritarian, not just RWA (unlike F-Scale)

Question 5

Elms & Milgram (1966): Experiment Information

Answer 5

• Hypothesis: There is a positive correlation between AP and shock level
• IV: AP measured on MMPI & F-Scale
• DV: Shock level in volts
• Type: Self Report
• Design: Independent groups

Question 6

Elms & Milgram (1966): Procedure

Answer 6

• Original participants of Milgram (1963) were gathered (excluding 2, who had died)
• They were asked to do MMPI test and F-Scale test
• Then had to provide results to E&M

Question 7

Elms & Milgram (1966): Findings & Conclusion

Answer 7

• More obedient participants were significantly higher in authoritarianism
• Dispositional factors very influential in causing particularly low or high obedience