Obedience

Question 1

What is obedience?

Answer 1

When a person changes their attitudes or behaviour due to an explicit order from another individual.
Obedience usually occurs within a hierarchy, where the person giving the order has power or authority.

Question 2

Situational explanations for obedience

Answer 2

Situational factors suggest an external explanation for obedience, caused by the environment.
E.g. uniform, location, proximity of authority figure

Question 3

Dispositional explanations for obedience

Answer 3

Dispositional factors suggest an internal explanation for obedience, caused by a persons personality characteristics.
E.g. authoritarian personality

Question 4

What is an authoritarian personality?

Answer 4

A cluster of personality traits that makes it more likely for a person to obey.

Question 5

What traits are associated with authoritarian personality?

Answer 5

Highly conventional - right wing/conservative political views
Aggressive and Hostile - especially towards minority groups, lower status
Unquestioning respect for authority - more likely to obey, belief in importance of power

Question 6

What’s the F-scale?

Answer 6

How the authoritarian personality is measured, it’s a questionnaire including 30 questions that assess a persons conventional beliefs, their hostility and respect for authority.