Social Influece - The Authoritarian Personality

Question 1

What are situational explanations for influence?

Answer 1

Explanations that focus on the influence that stems from the environment.

Question 2

What are dispositional explanations for influence?

Answer 2

Explanation of individual behaviour caused by internal characteristics that reside within the individual’s personality.

Question 3

What is the authoritarian personality and what causes it?

Answer 3

• Collection of traits developed form strict/rigid parenting.
• People with this personality will be conformist, conventional and dogmatic.
• They are obedient towards people of perceived higher status.
• They grow up assuming this level of obedience is the expected norm.

Question 4

Who developed the F scale?

Answer 4

Adorno

Question 5

What does the F stand for in the F scale?

Answer 5

The Fascist scale.

Question 6

What was the procedure of Adorno et al 1950 study?

Answer 6

Measured 2000 middle class, white Americans and gave them a questionnaire.

Question 7

What were the findings in Adorno et al’s study?

Answer 7

People who scored higher on the F scale (authoritarian) identified with ‘strong’ people and where contemptuous of the ‘weak’. They were conscious of their own and others status and showed a ‘blind respect’ towards people with power. They were also driven by stereotypes and prejudice.

Question 8

What was the procedure in Elms and Milgrams study?

Answer 8

• Sample of 20 obedient and 20 disobedient Ps from Milgram’s original experiment.
• Each P completed the F scale and were interviewed about their relationships with their parents and their thoughts on the experimenter.

Question 9

What were the findings in Elms and Milgram’s study?

Answer 9

Obedient Ps scared higher on the F scale, were less close to their fathers and more likely to admire the experimenter.

Therefore relationship between authoritarian personality and obedient behaviour.

Question 10

Who established right-wing authoritarianism?

Answer 10

Robert Altemeyer.

Question 11

What is right-wing authoritarianism?

Answer 11

High RWA people posses three important personality characteristics that predispose them to obedience:

• Conventionalism (adherence to conventional norms and values).
• Authoritarian aggression (aggressive feelings towards people who violate these norms).
• Authoritarian submission (uncritical submission to legitimate authorities).

Question 12

Describe the experiment and its results that Altemeyer used to test right-wing authoritarianism.

Answer 12

• Ps ordered to give increasing shocks to themselves when they made mistakes on a learning task.
• Significant correlation between RWA scores and level of shocks administered to themselves.
• Also red button which said “do not push unless instructed to do so” when told to do so vast majority did without question irrelevant of RWA score.

Question 13

Evaluate the authoritarian personality?

Answer 13

• Does not establish cause and effect (it shows correlation).
• Social context and situational variables more important.
• People may give socially desirable responses to questionnaire.
• Research evidence to support link between authoritarian personality and high levels of obedience.

Question 14

What is meant by resistance to social influence?

Answer 14

The ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority. This ability to withstand social pressure is influenced by both situational and dispositional factors.

Question 15

What is social support?

Answer 15

The presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others do the same. These people act as models who show others that resistance to social influence is possible.

Question 16

How does social support effect conformity?

Answer 16

An example of its effects are found in an Asch’s variation were the presence of an ally who gave the right answer caused conformity to drop to 5.5%. Breaking the unanimous position of the majority is very important in resisting social influence.

Question 17

How does social support effect obedience?

Answer 17

Research has shown that people are more likely to disobey an authority figure if they have an ally willing to do the same - disobedient peers act as role models. E.g. in a Milgram variation the P was in a group of 3, the other two teachers being confederates. The confederates refused to continue shocking the learner one after another and withdrew. Their defiance had a liberating effect on the Ps with only 10% continuing to the max 450v.

Question 18

What was the percentage of people who acted independently in each study?

Answer 18

Asch (original) = 25%
Milgram (original) = 35%
Nurses in Hofling = 1
Nurses in Rank and Jacobson = 16/18

Question 19

What did Fromm find out about poeple who acted independently in Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 19

Only 33% conformed to the role of a brutal prison guard. 67% behaved in a fair and supportive manner towards the prisoners.

Question 20

What was found in Allen and Levine’s study?

Answer 20

Conformity decreased in an Asch like study were there was one dissenter. This occurred even if he wore thick glasses and said he had problems with his vision.

Question 21

What was found in Gamson’s study?

Answer 21

Higher levels of resistance in a Milgram study as Ps in groups. Asked to produce evidence to help an oil company run a smear campaign. 88% rebelled against.

Question 22

Who developed locus of control?

Answer 22

Rotter

Question 23

What is locus of control?

Answer 23

An individual’s sense of personal control over events in their life. It is a dispositional explanation. It is also divided into two types: Internal locus of control, and External locus of control.

Question 24

Would someone with an internal locus of control be more or less likely to resist social influences?

Answer 24

More likely.

Question 25

Would someone with an external locus of control be more or less likely to resist social influences?

Answer 25

Less likely.

Question 26

What are the characteristics of an internal locus of control?

Answer 26

• You control your outcomes.
• Your own hard work and skill will shape your experiences.
• You hold the knowledge and skills to be successful.
• You do not need to seek reassurance from others before taking action.
• You take full responsibility for your actions.

Question 27

What are the characteristics of an external locus of control?

Answer 27

• Outcomes are out of your control.
• Your experiences are the result of luck/chance.
• You are uncertain about your own skill and knowledge.
• Seek reassurance form others before taking action.
• Your actions are likely to be influenced by others around you.
• Less likely to take responsibility for actions.

Question 28

What happened in Oliner and Oliner’s study (resistance to social influence)?

Answer 28

They interviewed two groups of non-Jewish people who lived through the Holocaust and Nazi Germany.

• 406 people who protected the Jews compared to 126 who had not done this.
• Found group who rescued/protected the Jews had scores demonstrating an internal locus of control.

Question 29

What happened in Holland’s study (resistance to social influence)?

Answer 29

He repeated Milgram’s baseline study and measured whether Ps were internal or external.

• 37% did not continue to the highest shock.
• 23% of externals did not continue.

Question 30

What did Spector’s study show (resistance to social influence)?

Answer 30

Externals would conform more than internals in situations of normative pressure but would not conform more in situations of informational pressure.