Revision Topics Flashcards
Designing and Conducting Interviews
Firstly choose the type of interview , this may depend on many factors .
Then choose a suitable interviewer , One with training and one who may not cause any interviewer effects , for example if a person has a history where they were abused , the interviewer chosen shouldn’t look similar to them as to not trigger suppressed memories .
The factors that need to be taken into consideration are the participants , personal characteristics , ethnicity , the gender , language , etc .
Finally interviewers must take extra care when asking questions regarding sensitive topics , interviewers should also ensure special care is taken when interviewing minors .
Unstructured Interviews
Interviews without any set questions where the participant may answer however they may feel like
These interviews offer rich quantitative data and the questions can be altered according to the way the interviewee responds.
Very time consuming as the data needs to be analyzed
Structured Interviews
An interview that has a set amount of questions , these questions remain the same and the interviewer isn’t allowed to ask anything other than the questions .
Great way to collect quantitative data and also easy to replicate as the questions remain the same .
Questions however aren’t flexible so proper reasoning as to why a person may think this way for example may not be known .
Authoritarian Personality
Authoritarian personalities respect authority figures and follows their superiors orders without question .
The team at Berkeley created a questionnaire called the F-Scale to measure the Authoritarian Personality .
Authoritarian Characteristics
Very conventional beliefs about right and wrong .
Respect for authority
Belief in aggression toward those who are different
A negative view of people in general
A need for strong leadership
A black and white worldview.
A tendency to project own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto
a group of scapegoats
A preoccupation with violence and sex
The 9 Authoritarian Traits
Conventionalism - Strong devotion to middle class values.
Authoritarian Subjugation:- Submissive attitude towards authority .
Authoritarian Aggression -Tend to punish people who disobey generalized values .
Anti- Interception - Closed for inner experiences and experiences .
Superstition and stereotyping - Tendency to think within rigid categories.
Power and Firmness - Seeing relationships in the extremes of
domination-submission, strength-weakness .
Destructiveness and Cynicism - Hostile attitude towards others .
Projection - Unconsciously taking disliked emotions and attributing them to someone else .
Sex - Excessive interest in sexual habits .
Psychodynamic explanation for Authoritarian Personality
These people have a strong id but a weak ego . Driven by powerful antisocial urges .
Have a strict super ego which makes them feel guilty or ashamed etc .
Uses a defense mechanism called projection , and uses their sense of weakness onto those below them .
People with Authoritarian Personalities are scared of being weak therefore they hate the weak .
They repress their own urges and therefore are disturbed by free spirited individuals , this is why they tend to pick on homosexuals’ , hippies etc
Features of RWAs
Altemeyer reduces authoritarianism to three dimensions only ;
Submit to established authorities .
Tend to be punitive , harsh .
Conform to conventional standards .
Makes a shift from personality to personality disorder .
Typical RWA Attitudes
High in prejudice
Politically conservative
High in religiosity
Perceive the world as very dangerous
Typical RWA Cognitive Styles
Trouble at spotting false interferences .
Prone to self contradiction.
Difficulty disengaging.
critical though from religious beliefs .
More prone to fundamental attribution error .
Difficulty in dealing with ambiguities .
Development of RWA
Altemeyer - Cognition is learnt at home .
Early socialization is important .
Guardians play a huge role .
No displaced aggression .
Factors Affecting Prejudice
Individual Differences ;
Personality Traits
Authoritarian Personality Traits .
Right Wing Authoritarian Personality Traits .
Developmental Psychology Factors ;
Upbringing and Parenting Styles .
Personal Experiences , especially in the childhood .
Biological Predisposition
Cultural Factors
Cultural Norms / Religious Background - endorsing and legitimizing prejudice .
Individualistic Culture - Inter Personal Prejudice .
Collectivistic Culture - Inter Group Prejudice
Situational Factors
Social Norms Social Learning / vicarious reinforcements . Vicarious Learning Social Threats Survival / Competition
What can we do to reduce Prejudice ?
Increase Contact among different social groups ; target and the holder of the beliefs .
Strengthening law regulation related to equal and fair treatment for all .
Public awareness / support : anti - prejudice social norms , reframing the existing social and cultural norms and values .
Education
