Authoritarian Personality

• How is society structured according to the study material?

  In a hierarchical way
• What role does the head teacher play in a hierarchical structure?

  They have more authority than pupils
• Why are orders from the head teacher likely to be obeyed?

  Because they are seen as a legitimate authority
• What might a pupil believe when obeying a head teacher's orders?

  That the authority is asking the right thing
• What does it mean to hand over control and independence?

  To trust authority and follow orders
• What is the dispositional explanation for obedience?

  The Authoritarian Personality
• What are dispositional factors in the context of obedience?

  Factors related to an individual's personality
• What does the F Scale measure?

  Authoritarian personality traits
• What was Adorno's aim in his research?

  To understand anti-Semitism of the Holocaust
• What was the procedure in Adorno's research?

  • Sample: Over 2000 middle-class, white Americans
  • Used the F-scale to measure authoritarian personality
• What did Adorno find about people with authoritarian personalities?

  They show extreme respect for higher status
• What are the characteristics of an authoritarian personality?

  • Highly obedient to authority
  • Dismissive of lower status individuals
  • Belief in strong leaders
  • Black and white cognitive style
  • Conservative views on social issues
• How does an authoritarian personality develop?

  Through strict disciplinarian parenting
• What is scapegoating in the context of authoritarian personality development?

  • Displacing hostility onto weaker individuals
• What is the outline of the authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience?

  • Dispositional explanation
  • Developed from strict parenting
  • Extreme respect for authority
  • Harsh towards lower status individuals
  • Measured by the F-scale
• What is a weakness of Adorno's authoritarian personality explanation?

  It is reductionist and determinist
• What situational variable can impact obedience according to the study material?

  Authority figure's uniform
• What contradictory research is mentioned regarding authoritarian personality?

  Elms and Milgram's findings on obedience
• What is a methodological flaw in Adorno's research?

  It is based on correlational data
• What methodological issues can be used to evaluate studies?

  • Ecological validity
  • Researcher bias
  • Social desirability
  • Demand characteristics
  • Sampling issues
• What does AQA mean by 'research'?

  • Studies and theories
• What is the homework task related to the authoritarian personality?

  • Outline the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience