Dispositional factors of obedience

• Adorno 1950

  • Identified authoritarian personality type, using F scale to test the different components of the AP
  • Found people who score high on scale tended to be raised by authoritarian parents (including use of physical punishment), making them expect this behaviour as the norm
• Robert Altemeyer 1981 (theory)

  • refined AP concept, identified a cluster of 3 personality variables he referred to as right wing authoritarianism: 1) conventionalism (adherence to convention) , 2) Authoritarian aggression (aggression to people who violate the norm), 3) authoritarian submission (uncritical submission to legitimate authority)
• Robert Altemeyer 1981 (study)

  • Tested relationship between RWA and obedience in experiment where Ps were given learning tasks and asked to give themselves shocks for wrong answers
  • Also asked to push large button for not trying hard enough after the task
  • RWA level irrelevant as most Ps did exactly as instructed
• Elms and Milgram 1966 (study)

  • Investigated whether Milgram's behaviour findings where only due to specific conditions or if it was dispositional
  • Follow up study of Milgram Ps. Selected 20 who went to 450V, and 20 who refused at some point in study. Each completed MMPI scale and F Scale tests, then asked open ended questions including questions about their upbringing or attitude to the experimenter in Milgram study
• Elms and Milgram 1966 (results)

  • In MMPI results, little variance between obedient and defiant Ps. Found higher levels of authoritarianism in obedient Ps. Obedient Ps often reported having distant fathers and usually described father's negatively. Obedient Ps saw experimenter in Milgram study admirable and learner less so. These findings not the same in defiants
• AO3

  • Dambrun and Vatiné 2010, lessened suspicion of Ps toward realness of shocks by using a virtual experience. Filmed actor as learner, then Ps told that it was a simulation and the shocks weren't real. Ps still tended to respond as of situation was real, and clear correlation shown between RWA and max voltage given to victim - confirms obedience authoritarianism link
• AO3

  • Milgram (1974) said that social context (location, proximity, ect) was primary cause in differences of Ps obedience, not personality variation. The change is social situation altered most Ps obedience, regardless of personality. Explaining obedience using only authoritarianism lacks flexibility to take social factors into account
• AO3

  • Many obedient Ps in Elms and Milgram study also reported having good parental relationships, rather than a strict upbringing usually associated with AP. Casts doubt on idea all obedient AP Ps grew up with harsh and punitive fathers
• AO3

  • Middendorp and Meloen 1990, research like this has found that less educated people generally more authoritarian. Milgram found less educated Ps usually more obedient. Suggests lack of education can be responsible for both obedience and authoritarianism
• AO3

  • Due to Altemeyer term RWA, we expect right wing people to be more authoritarian while left wingers to be less obedient.  Bègue 2014, replicated Milgram's study as fake game show. Contestants had to deliver shocks (fake) to the others. Subsequent interviews using World Value Survey Questionnaire revealed that the more left Ps learnt, the lower shock intensity they often gave