Social Influence

Question 1

What are the evaluation points for the Authoritarian personality?

Answer 1

+) Research support
C.P -> Correlation is not causation
-) social context
-) differences between authoritarian and obedient ppts

Question 2

How is research support a strength of Authoritarian Personality?

Answer 2

P - research evidence supports link between authoritarianism and obedience
Ev - Elms and Milgram (1966) found highly obedient participants scored higher on measures of authoritarianism
Ex - suggests strong authoritarian personality may increase one’s likelihood to follow orders without questioning
L - study reinforces idea that authoritarian traits can predispose individuals to disobedient behaviour

Question 3

How is correlation not causation a counter of research support for authoritarian personality?

Answer 3

P - The link between authoritarianism and obedience may not imply causation
Ev - Middendorp and Meloen (1990) found less-educated people tend to score higher in authoritarianism and obedience
Ex - suggests education rather than authoritarian personality alone, could influence obedience levels
L - indicates other factors like education could contribute to obedience beyond authoritarian traits alone

Question 4

How is the role of social context a limitation of Authoritarian personality

Answer 4

P - Social context might be more influential than personality traits in determining obedience
Ev - Milgram (1974) noted that changes in situational factors significantly affected obedience rates in his experiments
Ex - findings indicates that environmental factors like authority figures and situational context play a major role in shaping obedience, perhaps more than personality
L - this challenges the emphasis on Authoritarianism, suggesting obedience can be situationally driven rather than rooted solely in personality

Question 5

How are differences between authoritarian and obedient participants a limitation?

Answer 5

P - there are differences between authoritarian and obedient participants
Ev - Elms and Milgram found obedient ppts only reported positive relationships with their parents, while those with Authoritarian traits had harsher upbringings
Ex - suggests not all obedient people have an Authoritarian personality, indicating obedience may arise from influences like family environment.
L - limits Authoritarian personality theory as it may not fully account for varied influences on obedience

Question 6

What does the Authoritarian personality theory propose?

Answer 6

It suggests that a specific personality type, marked by rigid beliefs and submission to authority, predisposes some people to obey more easily

Question 7

Who developed the concept of Authoritarian Personality?

Answer 7

Adoeno et al
to understand the roots of obedience and prejudice

Question 8

What tool did Adorno create to measure the authoritarian personality?

Answer 8

They developed the F scale to acsess authoritarian traits?

Question 9

What are some key traits measured by the F scale?

Answer 9

Respect for authority
hostility towards non-conformists
strict adherence to social norms

Question 10

According to Adorno, what childhood experience contributes to an Authoritarian personality?

Answer 10

Harsh and overly strict parenting
leading individuals to displace aggression towards weaker individuals