Role of dispositional factors in explaining obedience

Question 1

Who established the authoritarian personality

Answer 1

Adorno et al

Question 2

Features of the authoritarian personality

Answer 2

-Rigid beliefs in conventional values
-Hostility to other groups
-Intolerence of ambiguity
-Submissive attitude towards authority figures

Question 3

Developed authoritarian personality

Answer 3

Forms in childhood
Result of harsh parenting so creates resentment and fear of punishment which is taken out on ‘weaker’
psychodynamic explanation

Question 4

Obedience and authoritarian personality

Answer 4

Obedient with a high authoritarian personality

Question 5

F-scale

Answer 5

Measures the authoritarian personality given to 2000 middle class Americans. High F-scale is high authoritarian personality

Question 6

People with an authoritarian personality are:

Answer 6

submissive and respect authority
Contempt for people with inferior social status
Conventional attitudes to sex, race and gender
Believe we need strong leaders to enforce rules
Inflexible

Question 7

Research support

Answer 7

MIlgram and elms found people who were obedient scored higher on the f-scale and were less close to fathers in childhood

Question 8

Correlation isn’t causation

Answer 8

e.g education levels
lower education were more obedient

Question 9

Influenced further research

Answer 9

Right wing authoritarianism, altemeyer, conventionalism, authoritarian (aggression, submission)
Higher RWA more likely to shock themselves on a plate

Question 10

Authoritarian personality and prejudice

Answer 10

positive correlation between f scae scores and a predcdice scale.

Question 11

Political bias

Answer 11

Focus on right wing ideology
Jahoda suggests it is a biased way of measuring authoritarianism
May not explain left wing individuals
Doesn’t cover aa spectrum