This study is a meta-analysis of publications of the relationship of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) to racial/ethnic prejudice. In addition to examining the relationship between RWA and prejudice, two control/comparison analyses were conducted. The first looks at the relationship between RWA and attitudes toward homosexuality over the same time period as the racial prejudice analysis. An additional set of control analyses involved social dominance orientation (SDO). The hypothesis was that the relationship between RWA and racial/ethnic prejudice has decreased over time but that the relationships between RWA and anti-gay prejudice and the relationship between SDO and racial/ethnic prejudice and SDO and anti-gay prejudice will be relatively stable over time. The results showed as time passed there was a negative relationship between RWA and racial/ethnic prejudice, a positive relationship with RWA and anti-gay prejudice, a non significant correlation with SDO and racial/ethnic prejudice, and a negative relationship between SDO and anti-gay prejudice. / Department of Psychological Science

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-32).

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-24).

The aim of the research was to assess the psychometric properties of Altemeyer's (1981) Right-Wing Authoritarianism scale (RWA scale)- developed in response to identified methodological weaknesses in personality measures of authoritarianism to date - within a South African setting. A modified version of the 24-item attitudinal scale, together with a demographic questionnaire was administered to a white and black sample of South African university students. Subsequent psychometric analysis of the data indicated that the scale was a significantly less powerful measure of authoritarianism in a cross-cultural context, than originally hoped for. Not only did the analysis show an absence of psychometric equivalence but revealed substantial problems within the content of the scale itself. An ensuing discussion of these findings situated the debate within a broader theoretical context. It was argued that the RWA scale, and its underpinning conceptualization, although possibly comprising a methodological refinement over existing measures of authoritarianism, did not constitute grounds for a viable approach to research on authoritarianism in the South African context. It was concluded that a model of authoritarianism resting on the assumptions of positivistic psychology, inevitably failed to account for the social and political dynamics of a changing society. As a socially relevant enterprise, it was suggested that the debate on authoritarianism be extended beyond the confines of individualistic psychology and research priority directed instead to the crucial role of societal factors giving rise to the individual manifestation of the phenomenon.

This research examined a model of authoritarian personality development within people from Aceh, the province in Indonesia that has been in political conflict since 1976. A number of measures were administered online using InQsit BSU software. These measures assessed bad wartime experiences (BE), social identification with Aceh, social conformity, a worldview of social threat, social uncertainty, chronic anger rumination, individualist-collectivist cultural orientation, and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). 215 Achenese citizens between 18 to 57 years of age served as participants. The results showed that participants were clearly collectivists. As predicted, regression analyses demonstrated that BE correlated positively with social threat, when threat was measured at a societal level [i.e., Belief in a Dangerous World (BDW)]. The relationship of BEBDW was completely mediated by social identification. Also as predicted, a strong and positive correlation was found between BDW-RWA. A hypothesis concerning anger rumination was not supported. Anger rumination did not mediate the relationship between BDW-RWA or between Uncertainty-RWA. Interestingly, the relationship between rumination and RWA was in a negative direction. The present study replicated work by Duckitt (2002), and extended that work by examining the mediational role of both Social Identification and BDW in the Conformity-RWA relationship. Another new finding is that cultural orientation (especially vertical collectivism) contributed to RWA in much the same way as social conformity. The limitations of this study are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented. / Department of Psychological Science