Lesson 3.2.1.2.2

3.2.1.2.2 Dispositional factors and Adorno's authoritarian personality Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 5

20 questions

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Lesson 3.2.1.2.2, Dispositional factors and Adorno's authoritarian personality: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 5: Social influence, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What did Adorno propose about the authoritarian personality?

    • It is a short-term mood caused by being in a crowd of people for long periods
    • It is a personality type associated with strict obedience to authority and prejudice
    • It is a temporary state caused by being in a large group of strangers
    • It is a type of intelligence that makes people more independent of group pressure

  2. Which childhood experience did Adorno link to the authoritarian personality?

    • Living in a rural area away from other children and with few local friends
    • Harsh, strict parenting that used punishment and discipline
    • Frequent praise and freedom to make own choices within a loving home
    • Attending schools with mixed-age classes and a variety of teaching styles

  3. Which scale did Adorno and colleagues develop to measure authoritarian personality?

    • The Sapir scale
    • The Milgram scale
    • The Asch scale
    • The F-scale

  4. Which trait is typical of an authoritarian personality?

    • Rejection of all forms of discipline and strict rules at home
    • Open-minded acceptance of new ideas and a willingness to change views
    • Rigid thinking and strong respect for authority figures
    • Interest in questioning every rule set by figures of authority

  5. Why is Adorno's theory described as dispositional?

    • It explains obedience through the colour of the authority figure's uniform
    • It explains obedience through the setting and immediate surroundings only
    • It explains obedience through the number of people present
    • It explains obedience through stable personality traits rather than the situation

  6. What is a criticism of Adorno's theory?

    • It shows that personality never changes across a lifetime of experiences
    • It is based on a random sample of the general population of adults in Britain
    • It proves all obedience is caused by personality alone and never by the setting
    • It underestimates the role of situational factors, such as the setting, in obedience

  7. Adorno's theory suggests which kind of person is likely to show prejudice?

    • Someone who has never experienced any form of parenting
    • Someone who always questions authority
    • Someone with an authoritarian personality who holds rigid, conventional values
    • Someone who is highly open to new experiences and different cultures

  8. A person is highly obedient to a boss but harsh to subordinates. Which explanation would Adorno give?

    • Authoritarian personality, with strict deference upward and dominance downward
    • Agentic state, with the person feeling no personal responsibility
    • Social loafing, with the person working less hard in a group
    • Conformity, with the person following the majority of colleagues

  9. A researcher finds that people with high F-scale scores show more prejudice. What does this support?

    • The idea that prejudice cannot be measured reliably using any questionnaire scale
    • The idea that group size produces prejudice among people who conform to others
    • The idea that prejudice is caused only by the setting and social situation
    • The idea that a dispositional authoritarian personality is linked to prejudice

  10. Adorno's theory and Milgram's agency theory differ mainly in which way?

    • Both focus on personality only
    • Both focus on the number of people present
    • Adorno focuses on personality, while Milgram focuses on situational factors
    • Adorno focuses on situational factors, while Milgram focuses on personality

  11. Which childhood parenting style would Adorno most likely link to the authoritarian personality?

    • Warm, consistent discipline with open discussion
    • Parenting in which children chose their own rules
    • Permissive parenting with no rules
    • Strict, punitive discipline with little warmth

  12. Which is a strength of Adorno's theory?

    • It shows that situational factors have no role at all
    • It has been replicated by many independent researchers using identical methods
    • It accounts for all obedience across all cultures without exception
    • It identifies individual differences that can explain why some people are more obedient

  13. Why might the F-scale be criticised?

    • Its questions may be biased
    • It measures intelligence rather than personality
    • It can only be used with young children
    • It is too long for anyone to complete in a day

  14. What does 'authoritarian' mean in Adorno's theory?

    • Strongly favouring obedience to authority and rigid rule-following
    • Strongly favouring individual freedom above all other social values
    • Strongly favouring equal rights for all groups in every area of society
    • Strongly favouring democratic debate and open discussion of all views

  15. Which finding would most support Adorno's theory?

    • People in large groups conforming to a wrong answer
    • People in a crowd showing social loafing
    • People placed in a laboratory showing high obedience regardless of personality
    • People with harsh childhood discipline scoring higher on authoritarian measures

  16. Which statement best links Adorno's theory to social influence?

    • It explains conformity through group size, replacing Milgram's focus on proximity to the victim
    • It explains obedience through dispositional factors, complementing situational explanations such as Milgram's
    • It explains bystander behaviour through similarity to the victim and perceived cost of helping
    • It replaces all other social influence theories with a single personality-based explanation

  17. A person says they admire strict leaders and feel rules must never be questioned. Which concept does this describe?

    • Agentic state
    • Deindividuation
    • Authoritarian personality
    • Social loafing

  18. Which idea is central to the authoritarian personality?

    • Prejudice is equally present in all people in every setting
    • Prejudice is linked to a rigid, submissive attitude towards authority
    • Prejudice can only be learned from peers at school
    • Prejudice is caused entirely by economic conditions

  19. Adorno's research on authoritarian personality was carried out in which historical context?

    • Before the First World War in Russia, examining prejudice in rural areas
    • During the Industrial Revolution in Britain, when factory work was common
    • After the Second World War, examining prejudice in society
    • In the 1980s in the United States, examining prejudice in schools

  20. Which measure would best test whether a person's obedience is dispositional or situational?

    • Comparing obedience across different settings for the same personality scores
    • Observing participants in a single setting with no personality data
    • Counting how many times participants smile during a test
    • Asking participants only once about their favourite colour

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