(7) 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 dispositional explanation for obedience Flashcards

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1
Q

who’s name is associated with this topic

A

Adorno

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2
Q

what was Adorno’s motivation for researching the dispositional explanation and what was proposed?

A

Adorno sought to understand the anti-Semitism of WW2 and proposed high levels of obedience was a psychological disorder linked to personality.

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3
Q

outline Adorno et al.’s (1950) procedure into the authoritarian personality

A

• over 2000 white, MC Americans used the F-scale questionnaire to measure AP traits

• Ps rated their level of agreement to various Qs on a likert scale.

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4
Q

those who scored high on the F-scale showed more AP characteristics, name three of these characteristics.

A

• show extreme respect for those in authority so susceptible to obeying them

• crave strong leaders who enforce traditional values (e.g. love for family, country and religion)

• conscious of social status so submit to those in higher status; dismiss and blame perceived inferiors for societal ills

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5
Q

what are the two distinct cognitive styles of the authoritarian personality?

A

• absolutist thinking

• stereotypes about other groups

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6
Q

where did Adorno et al. predict the origin of the authoritarian personality to stem from?

A

harsh parenting

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7
Q

name 4 parenting styles that can cause this personality.

A

• strict discipline

• severe criticism of perceived failures

• high standards

• conditional love

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8
Q

what approach did Adorno et al. use to explain the AP? explain how.

A

psychodynamic approach

this upbringing creates hostility in child; they cannot directly express their feelings against their parents (fear of punishment), so fears are displaced onto individuals they perceive as weak, known as scapegoating.

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9
Q

✅ research support - Milgram and Elms (1967)

A

evidence:
• investigated whether obedient Ps in Milgram’s study displayed more authoritarian traits than disobedient ones.
• compared 20 obedient Ps (administered 450 volts) to 20 disobedient Ps (refused to continue). Ps completed Adorno’s F scale; were interviewed about thoughts on confederates in OG experiment, and their parent relationships
• found obedient Ps scored higher on F scale; admired the experimenter, and had distant relationships with fathers, contrasting with disobedient Ps.

explain: in line with Adorno’s predictions

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10
Q

❌ - limited explanation for the majority of a country’s population

A

evidence: millions displayed obedient and anti-Semitic behaviour in pre-war Germany. extremely unlikely they all had an AP.

explain: more realistic explanations of real-life events (social identity theory) than arguing they all shared same personality.
• instead, likely the majority of the Germans identified with the Nazi party as their ingroup, and scapegoated the ‘outgroup’ of Jews.

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11
Q

❌ - Christie and Jahoda (1954) proposed the F-scale is politically bias

A

**evidence: argued the Qs are biassed towards extreme right-wing ideologies when in reality, extreme right-wing and left-wing ideologies have much in common - eg: obedience to political authority

evidence: Adorno’s explanation doesn’t fully explain why people obey authority across political spectrum.

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12
Q

🧠

for a03, there are 2 studies mentioned. after naming the researcher, summarise their study.

A

• strength - Milgram and Elms (1967)

> comparison of obedient and disobedient Ps and correlation to AP (+ interviews to emphasise status and parental relationship)

• limitation - Christie and Jahoda

> politically bias towards towards extreme right wing ideologies

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13
Q

🧠

what was the last a03 point that didn’t include a study?

A

• limitation - limited explanation for majority of a country’s population

> eg of millions who displayed obedient & anti-Semantic behaviour. better explanation like social identity theory: ingroup and outgroup (scapegoated)

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