intergroup relations- personality approaches to prejudice

Question 1

what 4 things did allport 1954 identify in prejudiced people

Answer 1

-all embracing
-magnified differences between groups
-values, e.g stereotype of groups
-persistence

Question 2

what was the key criterion in allport 1954s research

Answer 2

• persistence
• stereotypes can be slow to change
• views may change when coming into contact with diff people

Question 3

what reasearch did Adorno, Brunswick, Levinson and Sanford do in the 1940s

Answer 3

• to look inside individuals and find what renders individuals

Question 4

in adornos research how were individuals assesed?

Answer 4

-Made a questionnaire survey to identify the prejudiced and non-prejudiced, measured the degree which people vary in attitudes

Question 5

what scale did Adorno use

Answer 5

the f scale (fascisim scale)

Question 6

what was the issue with using f scale

Answer 6

was found offensive due to anti semitism

Question 7

what did the f scale consist of?

Answer 7

• 30 questions
• measured nine personality dimensions that characterised authoritarian individuals

Question 8

what freduian logic was said about perceptions

Answer 8

• Perceptions are often irrational and tell us more about the individual’s psychology than the real world.
• Seen in the processes of ‘projection’

Question 9

what is TAT and what does it do

Answer 9

• Thematic Apperception test
• a psychological test focusing on subconcious dynamics of a persons personality
• use of picture cards that the subject must tell a story about

Question 10

what was the ethnocentrism

Answer 10

a scale that measures to which degree you think your group is better than all the others

Question 11

what was the f scale

Answer 11

• a measure of personality and to the degree that you agree with the statements shown
• test measures responses on authoritarianism such as agression, power and more

Question 12

what process did general Freudian logic say

Answer 12

• perceptions are often irrational and tell us about individual’s psychology
• ‘projection’

Question 13

what did Adorno say about prejudice and personality?

Answer 13

• upbringing shapes personality
• shapes social views and perceptions

Question 14

In late 1950’s what did Adorno set up to find rise in facism and authoritarianism?

Answer 14

• set up interviews to find early childhood experiences causing prejudiced views
• puepose was to identify differences in family dynamics leading to different personalities( use of high and low)

Question 15

how did Adorno carry out late 1950 interviews with people about their childhood?

Answer 15

• use of people with those low and high on authoritarianism

Question 16

what did Adorno find in late 1950’s interviews about childhood

Answer 16

• respect for authority key, causes emotions to be taken out on lower class people in hierarchy
  -radar looks for failings in other people, leading to judgement of people, as result of this person fails to see it in themselves

Question 17

what did Adorno find strict upbringing leads to

Answer 17

• suppression of emotions
• frustration and resentment
• idealised image of family

Question 18

what did Adorno find in the interviews of feelings acting as a motor later in life

Answer 18

• general respect for authority
• feelings of hostility redirected on to other lower in hierarchy
• failings you cannot recognise in family and self are seen through others through projection

Question 19

why were parents motivated to be strict in Adorno’s findings?

Answer 19

• family ‘status anxiety’

Question 20

what did Freud say about being brought up in a authoritarian environment?

Answer 20

• inability to express emotions, feelings never go away and go to unconcious
• causes a strong sense of anger and resilience, scared to express resentment
• Belief that toleration of living strict with inability to express emotions see themselves as pure, proper as a solution to their inabilities.

Question 21

why do authoritirian act this particular way? (4 things)

Answer 21

• hoistile feelings to others- projection
• use of ‘all embracing categories’ and steretypes
• contents of images of others (projection)
  -persistence (projection)
• support status quo and relationship with authority

Question 22

what do contents of images of others (projection) contain? 3 things

Answer 22

• negative
• magnification of differences between groups
• value differences associated with ‘us’ and ‘them’

Question 23

what was assumed of people who scored high A on the f scale

Answer 23

• they had different relationships with their parents

Question 24

what was noted of people who scored low A on the f scale

Answer 24

• integrated
• mix of strengths and weaknesses
• desegragted (especially racially)
• showed democratic attitudes

Question 25

what was noted of people who scored high A on the f scale

Answer 25

• ambivalent
• surface positive negative inside
• had contradictory ideas of people
  -RESPECT COMES AT COST

Question 26

what did the interviews rely on?

Answer 26

• retrospective subjects of memories participants recalled on past experiences with their parents

Question 27

what was the issue with the interviews

Answer 27

• the interviewer already knew if they scored high or low on the test before, which may have influenced their interpretations of their responses

Question 28

what was found about prejudices- 4 things

Answer 28

• not always associated with authoritarianism
• cultural factors support racism without authoritarianism (NA vs SA- ingrained)
• racist beliefs and facist ideology can appeal to non- authoritarians
• can be liberal racism

Question 29

what was found about relationship between authoritrianism and stereotypes

Answer 29

• the assumed association between personality and cognitive ridgity was not supported

Question 30

what emphasis was put upon family dynamics

Answer 30

• reflects struggle for power
• prejudices can change quickly, all depends on child rearing practices