Bob Altemeyer

Robert Anthony "Bob" Altemeyer (born June 6, 1940), is a retired Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba. He produced the test and scale for "RWA" or Right-wing authoritarianism.

He did extensive research on authoritarianism, identifying the psychological makeup of authoritarian followers and authoritarian leaders. His studies concentrated on who the followers are, how they got that way, how they think, and why they are by turns so submissive and aggressive. He also collected data on authoritarianism among North American politicians. Altemeyer's work is extensively referenced in John W. Dean's 2006 book, Conservatives Without Conscience. At Dean's suggestion, he wrote an "everyperson" account of his findings, The Authoritarians, which is freely available online.