dispositional explanation

• what does dispositional mean

  a persons inherent qualities of mind and character
• what is the dispositional explanation for obedience

  certain personality traits (authoritarian) are associated with higher levels of obedience rather than the environment or circumstances being predictors or cues
• what did Adorno (1950) investigate?

  what was his study?

  • the causes of the obedient personality
  • tried to measure the unconscious attitudes (not intentional) towards other racial groups of more than 2000 middle class white Americans- he developed several scales to measure this one of which was known as the F-scale
• what is the F-scale?

  • questionnaire with 30 questions that assesses nine personality dimensions
  • it used to measure the authoritarian personality
• what were Adornos findings

  those who were measured as having an authoritarian personality were generally thought of as strong people, who hold the weak beneath them, conscious of their own and others status, showing excessive respect and obedience to those of a high status
• according to Adorno what is the authoritarian personality type shaped by

  upbringing.

  he suggested that ways of parenting created adults who were unable to express their emotions. these methods were rigid and hierarchal
• what are authoritarian characteristics?

  • rigid beliefs
  • rigid cognitive style
  • intolerant to ambiguity (something having more than one meaning)
  • submissive (do what others say) to authority
  • hostile to those of a perceived lower status
  • robot like
• what are the strengths of the dispositional explanation?

  • elms 1966, using the f-scale questionnaire and getting fully obedient participants from mailgrams research to do it, found a strong positive correlation between authoritarian personality and obedience (closely related). but correlations cant establish cause and effect.
  • jost et al 2003 conducted research that provided a reason why people are submissive to authority: people with the authoritarian personality type have a desire to reduce fears and anxieties that social change brings. these thought processes increase obedience
• what are the limitations of the dispositional explanation?

  • zillmer at al 1955 found that 16 nazis scored highly on 3 of the f-scale dimensions not all nine which was not what was predicted. so they did not have this authoritarian personality style yet were still obedient.
  • in the f-scale questionnaire all questions were worded in the same direction- you could score highly for authoritarian just by ticking the same line of boxes down the side of page meaning its not very relable becuse people can lie