Personality and Politics-IAuthoritarianism

Michael Milburn

Psychology 335

Authoritarianism—Group Discussion Background

• What is an experiment?• Elements:

– Manipulate IV and observe effect on DV– Random assignment to treatment conditions

• What are different kinds of IVs?• Subject variables• Manipulated variables• What are different kinds of effects?• Main effects• Interactions• What is an interaction?• The effect of one variable is different for different levels

of a second variable

Experimental Example

• Two IVs—– Gender (M/F)– Treatment (Insult/Praise)

• One DV: self-esteem

• How many main effects?

• Two—one for each independent variable

• How many interactions?

• One—one two-way (2x2) interaction

The “Fragile Male Ego” hypothesis—an interaction is predicted—males are affected more

than females by the insult

Self-esteem

Praise Insult

Condition

Females

Males

Authoritarianism Group Discussion

• What are the central elements of authoritarianism?

• Punitiveness

• Deference to higher authority/punitiveness to those lower in status (authoritarian submission and authoritarian aggression)

Results

• Main effect for severity of crime• Main effect for Authoritarianism

(punitiveness)• Authoritarianism by Status Interaction

(authoritarian orientation toward authority)– High authoritarians more punitive toward low

status than high status for same crime– Low auth more punitive toward high status

than low status for same crime