Social Influece - The Authoritarian Personality Flashcards
(30 cards)
What are situational explanations for influence?
Explanations that focus on the influence that stems from the environment.
What are dispositional explanations for influence?
Explanation of individual behaviour caused by internal characteristics that reside within the individual’s personality.
What is the authoritarian personality and what causes it?
- Collection of traits developed form strict/rigid parenting.
- People with this personality will be conformist, conventional and dogmatic.
- They are obedient towards people of perceived higher status.
- They grow up assuming this level of obedience is the expected norm.
Who developed the F scale?
Adorno
What does the F stand for in the F scale?
The Fascist scale.
What was the procedure of Adorno et al 1950 study?
Measured 2000 middle class, white Americans and gave them a questionnaire.
What were the findings in Adorno et al’s study?
People who scored higher on the F scale (authoritarian) identified with ‘strong’ people and where contemptuous of the ‘weak’. They were conscious of their own and others status and showed a ‘blind respect’ towards people with power. They were also driven by stereotypes and prejudice.
What was the procedure in Elms and Milgrams study?
- Sample of 20 obedient and 20 disobedient Ps from Milgram’s original experiment.
- Each P completed the F scale and were interviewed about their relationships with their parents and their thoughts on the experimenter.
What were the findings in Elms and Milgram’s study?
Obedient Ps scared higher on the F scale, were less close to their fathers and more likely to admire the experimenter.
Therefore relationship between authoritarian personality and obedient behaviour.
Who established right-wing authoritarianism?
Robert Altemeyer.
What is right-wing authoritarianism?
High RWA people posses three important personality characteristics that predispose them to obedience:
- Conventionalism (adherence to conventional norms and values).
- Authoritarian aggression (aggressive feelings towards people who violate these norms).
- Authoritarian submission (uncritical submission to legitimate authorities).
Describe the experiment and its results that Altemeyer used to test right-wing authoritarianism.
- Ps ordered to give increasing shocks to themselves when they made mistakes on a learning task.
- Significant correlation between RWA scores and level of shocks administered to themselves.
- Also red button which said “do not push unless instructed to do so” when told to do so vast majority did without question irrelevant of RWA score.
Evaluate the authoritarian personality?
- Does not establish cause and effect (it shows correlation).
- Social context and situational variables more important.
- People may give socially desirable responses to questionnaire.
- Research evidence to support link between authoritarian personality and high levels of obedience.
What is meant by resistance to social influence?
The ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority. This ability to withstand social pressure is influenced by both situational and dispositional factors.
What is social support?
The presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others do the same. These people act as models who show others that resistance to social influence is possible.
How does social support effect conformity?
An example of its effects are found in an Asch’s variation were the presence of an ally who gave the right answer caused conformity to drop to 5.5%. Breaking the unanimous position of the majority is very important in resisting social influence.
How does social support effect obedience?
Research has shown that people are more likely to disobey an authority figure if they have an ally willing to do the same - disobedient peers act as role models. E.g. in a Milgram variation the P was in a group of 3, the other two teachers being confederates. The confederates refused to continue shocking the learner one after another and withdrew. Their defiance had a liberating effect on the Ps with only 10% continuing to the max 450v.
What was the percentage of people who acted independently in each study?
Asch (original) = 25%
Milgram (original) = 35%
Nurses in Hofling = 1
Nurses in Rank and Jacobson = 16/18
What did Fromm find out about poeple who acted independently in Zimbardo’s study?
Only 33% conformed to the role of a brutal prison guard. 67% behaved in a fair and supportive manner towards the prisoners.
What was found in Allen and Levine’s study?
Conformity decreased in an Asch like study were there was one dissenter. This occurred even if he wore thick glasses and said he had problems with his vision.
What was found in Gamson’s study?
Higher levels of resistance in a Milgram study as Ps in groups. Asked to produce evidence to help an oil company run a smear campaign. 88% rebelled against.
Who developed locus of control?
Rotter
What is locus of control?
An individual’s sense of personal control over events in their life. It is a dispositional explanation. It is also divided into two types: Internal locus of control, and External locus of control.
Would someone with an internal locus of control be more or less likely to resist social influences?
More likely.
