The Authoritarian Personality

Question 1

Altemeyer (1981)

Answer 1

Identified 3 personalites that were RWA - high RWA scores = a predisposition to obedience:

• Conventionalism: adherence to conventional norms and values
• Authoritarian Aggression: aggressive feeling towards those who violate norms
• Authoritarian Submission: uncritical submission to legitimate authorities

Question 2

Elms and Milgram (1966)

Answer 2

Procedure:
they got 20 obedient participants and 20 defiant participants from milgram’s study and they completed the MMPI scale and F scale to measure their level of authoritarianism
Findings:
little difference between obedient and defiant participants but there were higher levels of Authoritarianism in obedients

Question 3

Evaluation -
Dambrun and Vatiné (2010):
research evidence for authoritarianism/obedience

Answer 3

overcame the suspicion about shocks by using an ‘immersive virtual environment’ where an actor was the ‘learner’ and was filmed and displayed on a computer and participants were informed it was a simulation yet still acted like the situation was real

Question 4

Adorno et al. (1950)

Answer 4

Presented The F Scale which was used to measure the different components that made up the Authoritarian Personality

Question 5

Evaluation -
Middendorp and Meloen (1990):
education may determine authoritarianism/obedience

Answer 5

found that the less educated were more authoritarian than the well educated showing how education could cause obedience too

Question 6

Evaluation -
Bégue et al. (2014):
left wing views are associated with low levels of obedience

Answer 6

carried out a Milgram type study for a game show where participants administered fake shocks to contestants and found that in subsequent interviews, those who defined themselves as ‘left wing’ administered less shocks