Edexcel Psychology A-level - Topic 1: Social Psychology (Conformity & Obedience)

A comprehensive set of practice questions (Q&A style) covering key concepts from conformity, obedience, resistance, minority influence, and social change as presented in the notes.

What is conformity as a form of social influence?

Yielding to group pressures; a change in a person’s behaviour or opinion as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group.

Define internalisation in Kelman’s types of conformity.

Permanent change where the beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviour become the group’s; strongest form of conformity, often from informational social influence.

Define identification in Kelman’s types of conformity.

Temporary or short-term change in behaviour/beliefs in the presence of a group; middle level influence.

Define compliance in Kelman’s types of conformity.

Publicly going along with the group while privately disagreeing; temporary and often due to normative social influence.

What is Informational Social Influence (ISI)?

Conforming to be right by looking to others for information, usually when uncertain or lacking knowledge; often leads to internalisation.

What evidence supports informational social influence in conformity?

Fein et al. showed participants changed votes to be ‘correct’ after seeing others’ votes, indicating ISI as a mechanism.

What is Normative Social Influence (NSI)?

Conforming to be liked and accepted by a group; driven by the need for approval and to avoid disapproval.

Give an example of Normative Social Influence.

Starting to smoke because friends smoke; conforms to fit in with the group.

In Asch’s study, what were the key participant conformity statistics?

36.8% conformed on critical trials; 25% never conformed; 75% conformed at least once.

Why was the control trial in Asch’s study important?

Only 1% of responses were incorrect, ruling out eyesight/perception as the main cause of conformity.

What is the effect of group size on conformity in Asch-type research?

Conformity increases with group size up to about three to four confederates; beyond that, increasing size has limited additional effect.

What is the effect of unanimity on conformity?

Conformity drops when a dissenter is present who gives the correct (or any) answer; e.g., from 32% to 5.5% with a correct dissenter.

How does task difficulty affect conformity?

In harder tasks, conformity increases; ISI rises as people look to others for correct answers.

What was Zimbardo’s aim in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

To investigate how readily people conform to social roles in a simulated environment and why good people do bad things.

What were the roles and setup in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Participants randomly assigned as guards or prisoners; uniforms and dehumanising measures to reinforce roles; no one could leave.

What were the key findings of Zimbardo’s study regarding roles?

Roles were internalised quickly; guards became aggressive and assertive; prisoners became submissive and identified with their roles.

What is Milgram’s key finding about obedience to authority?

65% of participants went to the highest voltage (450V); 100% went to at least 300V; many showed distress.

What factors affected obedience in Milgram’s study?

Proximity of the experimenter (same room vs. remote), location (prestigious university), and uniform (lab coat) increased obedience; proximity had a large effect.

How does proximity influence Milgram’s obedience rates?

Obedience was 62.5% when the experimenter was in the same room, 40% in adjacent rooms, and 20.5% in remote instruction.

Why is Milgram’s uniform an important situational factor?

The lab coat signified legitimacy and status, increasing obedience; yet it also raised concerns about demand characteristics.

What is agentic state?

A mental state where a person acts on behalf of an authority figure, shifting responsibility away from themselves (agentic shift).

What is legitimacy of authority?

Belief that the authority figure is credible, legitimate, and expert; increases obedience (e.g., Milgram’s experimenter as a scientist).

What are the major weaknesses of Milgram’s research?

Ethical issues (deception, distress, lack of informed consent), potential demand characteristics, and questions about ecological validity.

What is the role of proximity, location, and uniform in obedience?

Proximity (closer + higher obedience), location (prestigious location increases obedience), and uniform (signifies legitimacy) all raise obedience.

Give an example linking agentic state to real-world events.

Kilham and Mann’s analysis of My Lai Massacres explains how soldiers obeyed orders and shifted responsibility to superiors.

What is the Lincoln/Gina Perry finding related to Milgram?

Gina Perry suggested many participants questioned the shocks’ legitimacy, yet Milgram’s data showed 70% believed shocks were real; similar findings in other studies.

What is the F-scale and who proposed it?

A questionnaire developed by Adorno to measure authoritarian personality traits; used to explain obedience to authority.

What are the criticisms of the Authoritarian Personality theory?

Acquiescence bias, limited ecological validity, and failure to account for left-wing authoritarianism; may not explain obedience across all contexts.

What is locus of control (Rotter)?

A personality trait describing whether people feel in control of events (internal) or controlled by external forces (external).

How does locus of control relate to obedience and conformity?

High internal LOC often linked to less conformity/obedience; high external LOC associated with greater susceptibility to obedience.

What evidence supports the link between LOC and obedience/rescue behavior (Oliner & Oliner)?

Rescuers tended to have internal LOC and higher social responsibility; however, LOC is not the sole determinant of resistance to obedience.

What did Atgis (1998) find about LOC and conformity?

Meta-analysis showing higher external LOC is associated with greater conformity and susceptibility to social pressure.

What is social support in the context of resistance to conformity?

Having others who disagree with the majority provides social support and reduces conformity and obedience.

How did having a dissenter affect Asch’s conformity rates in variation studies?

A dissenter who provides a correct answer reduces conformity dramatically (to around 25% or less depending on scenario).

What is Moscovici’s study on minority influence about?

Shows that a consistent minority can influence the majority to adopt its view; inconsistency reduces influence.

What were the slides in Moscovici’s blue/green study and the key results?

Two confederates consistently said slides were green; about 8% of participants said green vs 1% when confederates were inconsistent.

Define the augmentation principle in minority influence.

When minorities appear determined and persistent, the majority pays more attention and may convert to the minority view.

What is diachronic vs synchronic consistency?

Diachronic: consistency over time; synchronic: consistency among members at the same time.

What three elements are important for successful minority influence (Moscovici’s framework)?

Consistency, commitment, and flexibility.

Who conducted research suggesting larger groups provide stronger social support against obedience (Gamson et al.)?

Gamson et al. found 88% resisted the smear campaign in groups, showing social support aids resistance.

What is social change in the context of social psychology?

A shift in beliefs or behaviours across an entire population, often initiated by minority influence and supported by internal locus of control and disobedience to authority.

What does Nemeth (1986) argue about the pace and strength of social change?

Social change via minority influence is slow and fragile; the majority may not be exposed to core issues, delaying change.

What limitations did Moscovici note about his minority-influence studies?

Reliance on artificial tasks; lack of mundane realism and ecological validity, limiting generalisation.

Why might minority influence not always change the majority?

The majority often has more power and social connections; the minority’s influence can be insufficient in larger, more entrenched groups.