AQA Psychology Paper 1 2024 Exam
Questions and Answers
Outline one ethical issue that has arisen in social influence research. Refer to one or more social
influence studies in your answer (4 marks) - ANSWERS-in milgrams obedience study ppts didnt
know the shocked were not real
in asch conformity study ppts were not aware the other ppts were confederates of the
experimenter
in zimbardo study prisoners showed signs of disorganised thinking and behaviour
milgrams ppts were encouraged to continue through the use of verbal prods
zimbardos ppts were denied request to leave
1. Charlie has just started a new school. He has become friendly with a group of boys in his year
group. Charlie thinks they are 'cool'
One day one of the more popular boys in the group suggests that they all wear their school
jumpers inside out for a week , just to see 'what will happen' Charlie worries about this all night
but still goes to school the following day wearing his jumper inside out.
Using your knowledge of conformity to explain Charlie's behaviour [6 marks] - ANSWERS-
Conformity refers to changing one's behaviour or beliefs to align with those of a group due to
real or perceived group pressure. Several factors explain why Charlie conformed in this
situation.
conforming due to NSI as his decison to wear the jumper may be motivated by a desire to fit in
with the group and avoid being isolatedm - the pressure may also be felt keenly as he is new to
the school and may not have other friends
, demonstrated compliance as his worrying suggests that he is conflicted but decides to wear his
jumper inside out (publicly) even though he may not agree with the behaviours
charlie also may be demonstrating identification - the fact that the thinks boys are cool and
values group membership
Later that day, the headteacher calls each of the boys in the group to his office one by one,
including Charlie. He explains that the school jumper should not be worn inside-out and that a
detention will be given to any boy who disobeys. From then on, each boy wears their jumper
correctly.
Use your knowledge of obedience to explain the boys' behaviour (6 marks) - ANSWERS-
Legitimacy of authority is an explanation for obedience, which suggests that we are more likely
to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us. This authority they have is
legitimate because of the individual's position of power within society, and they will likely be
part of an institutional structure, such as a headteacher in a school. The boys perceive the
headteacher as an authority figure and having power of them, therefore the boys obey the
headteacher or they would be given detention
The Agentic state is a mental state where a person feels no personal responsibility for their
behaviour because they are acting on behalf of an authority figure. When the boys speak to the
headteacher, a symbol of authority, as the boys undergo agentic shift (autonomous state to
agentic state) - in which they broke the school rules, following the school rules. This shows how
an agentic shift in the boys has occurred due to the presence of a legitimate authority figure
(when the boys then decided to wear their jumper correctly)
- can talk about authoritarian personality aswell AP is a collection of traits developed from harsh
parenting so they are obedient towards those of higher status and inferior of those perceived as
weaker
- lack of social support as called one by one
- obeyed due to situational factors like lovstion
Questions and Answers
Outline one ethical issue that has arisen in social influence research. Refer to one or more social
influence studies in your answer (4 marks) - ANSWERS-in milgrams obedience study ppts didnt
know the shocked were not real
in asch conformity study ppts were not aware the other ppts were confederates of the
experimenter
in zimbardo study prisoners showed signs of disorganised thinking and behaviour
milgrams ppts were encouraged to continue through the use of verbal prods
zimbardos ppts were denied request to leave
1. Charlie has just started a new school. He has become friendly with a group of boys in his year
group. Charlie thinks they are 'cool'
One day one of the more popular boys in the group suggests that they all wear their school
jumpers inside out for a week , just to see 'what will happen' Charlie worries about this all night
but still goes to school the following day wearing his jumper inside out.
Using your knowledge of conformity to explain Charlie's behaviour [6 marks] - ANSWERS-
Conformity refers to changing one's behaviour or beliefs to align with those of a group due to
real or perceived group pressure. Several factors explain why Charlie conformed in this
situation.
conforming due to NSI as his decison to wear the jumper may be motivated by a desire to fit in
with the group and avoid being isolatedm - the pressure may also be felt keenly as he is new to
the school and may not have other friends
, demonstrated compliance as his worrying suggests that he is conflicted but decides to wear his
jumper inside out (publicly) even though he may not agree with the behaviours
charlie also may be demonstrating identification - the fact that the thinks boys are cool and
values group membership
Later that day, the headteacher calls each of the boys in the group to his office one by one,
including Charlie. He explains that the school jumper should not be worn inside-out and that a
detention will be given to any boy who disobeys. From then on, each boy wears their jumper
correctly.
Use your knowledge of obedience to explain the boys' behaviour (6 marks) - ANSWERS-
Legitimacy of authority is an explanation for obedience, which suggests that we are more likely
to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us. This authority they have is
legitimate because of the individual's position of power within society, and they will likely be
part of an institutional structure, such as a headteacher in a school. The boys perceive the
headteacher as an authority figure and having power of them, therefore the boys obey the
headteacher or they would be given detention
The Agentic state is a mental state where a person feels no personal responsibility for their
behaviour because they are acting on behalf of an authority figure. When the boys speak to the
headteacher, a symbol of authority, as the boys undergo agentic shift (autonomous state to
agentic state) - in which they broke the school rules, following the school rules. This shows how
an agentic shift in the boys has occurred due to the presence of a legitimate authority figure
(when the boys then decided to wear their jumper correctly)
- can talk about authoritarian personality aswell AP is a collection of traits developed from harsh
parenting so they are obedient towards those of higher status and inferior of those perceived as
weaker
- lack of social support as called one by one
- obeyed due to situational factors like lovstion
