This fully editable lesson on Social Facilitation and Social Loafing examines the impact of group processes on individual performance, emphasising how the presence of others can either enhance or hinder productivity. Aligned with the OxfordAQA International A-Level Psychology (9685) specification, this lesson guides students in understanding the factors that influence behavior within group settings, especially in organisational and educational contexts. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: The slides provide an in-depth exploration of social facilitation and social loafing, introducing foundational theories and key studies such as Triplett’s (1897) cycling experiment and Ringelmann’s (1913) rope-pulling study. Through structured content, students examine how these theories apply to real-world scenarios, highlighting factors like task complexity and group size that impact individual effort and group productivity. Interactive Activities: Engaging “Do Now” questions and Think-Pair-Share discussions encourage students to consider the implications of group dynamics in different settings. Structured activities include analysing scenarios where social facilitation and social loafing are evident, such as Kai and Tyler’s performances in a school drama production, allowing students to apply theories using the PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation) format. Extension questions further challenge students to differentiate between online and face-to-face group interactions. Evaluation Points and Assessment Materials: The lesson includes PEEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Evaluation) tasks and exam-style questions to support critical analysis. Evaluation tasks cover strengths and limitations of social facilitation and social loafing, addressing aspects like individual differences, cultural relativity, and practical applications in workplace productivity. Additional questions on social loafing explore the influence of group size and accountability measures, providing students with structured opportunities to deepen their evaluative skills.

This fully editable lesson focuses on the restoration theories of sleep and the role of sleep in memory consolidation. Designed using the OxfordAQA International A-level Psychology (9685) specification, this lesson explores how sleep aids in physical and brain recovery as well as its impact on different types of memory. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: The lesson covers key restoration theories proposed by Oswald (1966) and Horne (1980), explaining how REM and NREM sleep serve different restorative functions. Students will learn about the role of sleep in brain recovery, supported by case studies like those of Peter Tripp and Randy Gardner, and examine how sleep deprivation affects cognitive and physical functioning. Additionally, the lesson explains the role of REM and NREM sleep in memory consolidation, differentiating between declarative and procedural memory, and features studies by Karni et al. (1994) and Walker et al. (2002). Interactive Activities: Engages students through a “Do Now” activity that prompts them to think about the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain and body. The lesson also features “Check it” questions that assess understanding, such as explaining the differences between Oswald’s and Horne’s models, evaluating the findings from sleep deprivation studies, and analysing the role of sleep in memory consolidation. Think-Pair-Share discussions and application questions throughout the lesson encourage deeper engagement with the material. Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions with model answers, such as describing and evaluating the restoration theory of sleep, and explaining how motivation can affect performance during sleep deprivation. These materials help students apply theoretical knowledge and prepare for evaluation questions in exams, focusing on both strengths and limitations of the restoration theories.

This fully editable lesson explores the evolutionary explanations for the functions of sleep, focusing on how ecological factors, predator-prey relationships, and energy conservation influence sleep patterns across species. Designed using the OxfordAQA International A-level Psychology (9685) specification, this lesson provides a detailed understanding of sleep’s adaptive role in survival. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: The lesson covers key evolutionary theories of sleep, including the predator-prey hypothesis by Meddis (1975) and the hibernation theory by Webb (1982). Students will learn how factors such as an animal’s size, ecological niche, and predator-prey status affect sleep duration. The lesson includes research by Allison and Cicchetti (1976) and Lesku et al. (2005), highlighting how correlational studies have shaped our understanding of the relationship between brain mass, sleep duration, and REM sleep. Interactive Activities: Students engage with a “Do Now” activity that prompts them to think critically about whether sleep is always beneficial for animals. The lesson also features “Check it” questions throughout to assess understanding, including tasks that ask students to explain ecological niches, evaluate research findings, and critically assess the limitations of correlational and captivity-based studies. Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions with model answers, such as explaining evolutionary functions of sleep and identifying limitations of using animal studies to investigate sleep. These assessment materials guide students in applying their knowledge to real-world examples and prepare them for answering both application and evaluation questions on this topic.

This fully editable lesson focuses on the different stages and characteristics of sleep, including both non-REM (NREM) and REM sleep. Designed using the OxfordAQA International A-level Psychology (9685) specification, this lesson explores the nature of sleep, the biological rhythms that regulate it, and key research findings. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: The lesson covers the different stages of sleep, from light NREM sleep to deep slow-wave sleep and REM sleep. Students will learn how each stage is characterised by unique brainwave patterns and physiological changes, with a focus on EEG readings. Key studies, including the work of Aserinsky and Kleitman (1953), are highlighted, providing insight into how sleep cycles operate as ultradian rhythms. The lesson also addresses the role of circadian rhythms and neurotransmitters in sleep regulation. Interactive Activities: Students engage in a “Do Now” activity that prompts them to consider how sleep deprivation affects their body. The lesson includes a detailed summary activity where students complete a chart outlining the stages of NREM and REM sleep. Additionally, the lesson incorporates a quiz using ABCD cards to assess understanding, allowing for instant feedback and class discussion on the key differences between the stages of sleep. Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions with model answers that assess understanding of NREM and REM sleep. Questions prompt students to explain differences between sleep stages, interpret EEG data, and identify key features of REM sleep such as muscle paralysis and vivid dreaming. This encourages critical thinking and exam readiness.

This fully editable lesson explores the impact of disrupting biological rhythms, focusing on the effects of shift work and jet lag. Designed using the OxfordAQA International A-level Psychology (9685) specification, this lesson helps students understand how modern lifestyle factors can desynchronise circadian rhythms and the potential health consequences. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: The lesson covers how biological rhythms are disrupted by factors such as shift work and jet lag. Students will learn about the role of endogenous pacemakers (internal body clocks) and exogenous zeitgebers (external cues such as light) in regulating circadian rhythms. Key studies, including Davis et al. (2001) on shift work and Cho et al. (2000) on jet lag, are discussed, providing insights into the effects of misaligned biological rhythms on health, performance, and well-being. Interactive Activities: Engages students with a “Do Now” activity that prompts them to reflect on the consequences of disrupted sleep schedules. Throughout the lesson, Think-Pair-Share discussions encourage students to consider real-world scenarios, such as the experiences of night-shift workers and frequent travellers. Case studies like “Sam the Policewoman” provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge of pacemakers and zeitgebers to practical examples, fostering critical thinking. Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions with model answers to assess students’ understanding of the effects of shift work and jet lag. Students will evaluate research, discuss strategies for minimising the negative impacts (such as forward shift rotation and light management), and critically engage with the evidence, helping them develop the analytical skills required for psychology exams.

This fully editable lesson focuses on the different types of biological rhythms, including circadian, infradian, and ultradian rhythms, as well as the roles of endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers in regulating these processes. Designed using the OxfordAQA International A-level Psychology (9685) specification, this lesson provides a thorough understanding of biological rhythms with real-life examples and engaging activities. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Covers the essential types of biological rhythms, including circadian (e.g., the sleep-wake cycle), infradian (e.g., the menstrual cycle), and ultradian rhythms (e.g., REM and NREM sleep cycles). The slides also explain the roles of endogenous pacemakers, such as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and exogenous zeitgebers, like light, in regulating these cycles. The lesson explores how disruptions to these rhythms can lead to disorders like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and sleep disturbances. Interactive Activities: Engages students through a “Do Now” activity that asks them to identify examples of circadian rhythms in everyday life, followed by Think-Pair-Share discussions on biological rhythms’ impact on behavior and physiological processes. The lesson also includes matching key terms and concepts to reinforce learning. Students will apply their understanding to questions like how body clocks influence daily functioning and the effects of environmental cues like light on our internal clocks. Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions with model answers to evaluate understanding of biological rhythms. These questions ask students to differentiate between circadian, infradian, and ultradian rhythms, describe the role of exogenous zeitgebers, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of using case studies to study biological rhythms.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) and its exploration of conformity to social roles. This resource provides students with an in-depth analysis of the procedures, findings, and critical evaluation of Zimbardo’s study, emphasizing ethical considerations and real-world applications. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Covers Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment, including participant recruitment, procedures, and the behaviour of both prisoners and guards. Key findings and conclusions are explored in detail. Interactive Video Activities: Features a video question sheet to accompany a video on Zimbardo’s research, prompting students to analyze the recruitment, treatment, and behaviour of participants during the study. Assessment Materials: Includes practice exam questions such as outlining Zimbardo’s research and discussing two limitations of the study, with model answers provided to support exam preparation. Critical Evaluation: Students engage in evaluating the ethical issues, sample bias, and dispositional influences present in Zimbardo’s research, exploring the extent to which the study’s findings can be generalized to real-life scenarios like prison environments. This lesson resource is well-suited for classroom instruction or independent study, providing a comprehensive approach to understanding social influence and the power of situational factors on human behaviour.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Minority Influence within the topic of Social Influence. It explores how a minority can impact the beliefs and behaviors of the majority through the processes of consistency, commitment, and flexibility. With engaging activities, critical evaluations, and research-based examples such as Moscovici’s blue-green slide study, students will develop a thorough understanding of minority influence in social settings. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Introduces students to key concepts of minority influence, including the roles of consistency, commitment, and flexibility. Real-world examples like the Civil Rights Movement and LGBTQ+ rights are used to illustrate the power of minority influence in driving social change. Interactive Activities: Includes a variety of engaging activities, such as a “Do Now” prompt, think-pair-share discussions, and case studies. Students analyze how minority groups can lead to internalization and long-lasting attitude changes using concepts like the snowball effect and deeper processing. Research-Based Insights: Provides a detailed analysis of Moscovici’s blue-green slide study, explaining how consistency in a minority’s viewpoint can lead to greater influence. Research from Wood et al. and Martin et al. is also used to highlight key findings on minority influence. Assessment Materials: Features exam practice questions that challenge students to apply their understanding of conformity and minority influence to hypothetical scenarios. For example, they are asked to explain how a small group of students could convince their peers to adopt an environmentally-friendly initiative using the key principles of minority influence. Critical Evaluation: Students are encouraged to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of research into minority influence, including the artificial nature of tasks like identifying the color of slides and the challenges of studying minority influence in real-world settings. This resource is ideal for both classroom teaching and independent study, equipping students with a comprehensive understanding of how minority groups can drive social change and influence majority opinions.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Adorno’s F-Scale as a dispositional explanation for obedience. The lesson delves into how personality traits, particularly the authoritarian personality, can influence obedience, using Adorno’s research as a key framework. With interactive activities, quizzes, and exam practice questions, students will gain a thorough understanding of dispositional factors in obedience. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Offers a detailed exploration of Adorno’s F-Scale, its development, and how it relates to authoritarian personality traits. Students learn how these traits, formed through harsh parenting, contribute to obedience and prejudice against minority groups. Interactive Quiz: A multiple-choice quiz designed to assess students’ understanding of Adorno’s F-Scale in a fun and engaging way. Students use A, B, C, or D cards or mini whiteboards to answer questions related to key concepts such as the definition of authoritarian personality and the role of harsh parenting in its development. Assessment Materials: Includes structured evaluation tasks and practice exam questions on the authoritarian personality. Students are encouraged to critically assess the validity and limitations of dispositional explanations for obedience, comparing them with situational factors. Model answers are provided to guide students in their exam preparation. Critical Evaluation: The lesson covers strengths and weaknesses of Adorno’s theory, discussing its deterministic nature, political bias, and methodological issues, such as the limitations of correlational research and the validity of the F-scale. Students engage in deeper evaluations, considering alternative explanations like social identity theory. This resource is perfect for both classroom teaching and independent study, offering students a solid foundation in understanding the dispositional factors contributing to obedience and how personality traits can influence behaviour.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Resistance to Social Influence through the roles of Social Support and Locus of Control. The lesson helps students understand how individuals can resist pressures to conform or obey authority figures, drawing on research and real-world examples. With interactive activities, critical evaluation, and exam practice questions, students will gain a thorough understanding of resistance to social influence. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Covers key explanations of resistance to social influence, including social support and locus of control, supported by research from Asch and Milgram. Students will learn how social support and an internal locus of control can reduce conformity and obedience in various situations. Interactive Activities: Includes engaging tasks such as “Check-in Questions” and “Locus of Control in Action,” where students analyze case studies to identify how locus of control influences resistance to social influence. These activities encourage critical thinking and application of key concepts. Assessment Materials: Features exam practice questions on social support and locus of control, with structured guidance on how to answer 4-mark and 8-mark questions. Model answers are provided to help students prepare effectively for their exams. Critical Evaluation: Students critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of social support and locus of control theories, including research evidence and real-world applications. They are encouraged to explore the role of dissenting peers and the impact of personality traits on resistance, as well as consider alternative explanations like situational factors. This resource is perfect for both classroom teaching and independent study, giving students a solid foundation in understanding how individuals resist social influence and how social and dispositional factors interact in these processes.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Social Change within the context of Social Influence. The lesson explores how processes like minority influence, conformity, and obedience contribute to societal shifts in beliefs and behaviors. Using real-world examples and research-based activities, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how social influence can drive change. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: The slides cover the six key processes involved in social change, including drawing attention, consistency, deeper processing, the augmentation principle, the snowball effect, and social cryptomnesia. Real-world examples such as the Civil Rights Movement and LGBTQ+ activism are used to illustrate each process. Interactive Activities: Includes a “Do Now” task to engage students, as well as a summary activity where students outline the six steps of social change and apply them to historical or modern social movements. The task also encourages students to apply lessons from obedience and conformity research, such as normative and informational social influence, to real-life examples like tackling the obesity crisis. Research-Based Insights: The lesson draws on key studies from social influence research, such as Milgram’s obedience study and Moscovici’s blue-green slide experiment, to show how these concepts relate to social change. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of these studies. Assessment Materials: Features exam practice questions, including short-answer questions on social change and how social influence processes contribute to it. Students are also asked to apply their knowledge of these processes to real-world scenarios like government campaigns on health issues, such as obesity. Critical Evaluation: Students critically evaluate the role of minority influence, conformity, and obedience in social change, exploring factors like normative social influence and disobedient role models. They also examine research evidence, including Nolan et al.’s study on energy consumption, which highlights how social norms can lead to behavior change. This lesson resource is ideal for classroom instruction and independent study, providing a detailed look at the processes that drive societal shifts and how social influence theories can be applied to modern-day social movements.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Milgram’s Variation Experiments and the impact of situational variables on obedience. This lesson provides students with an in-depth understanding of how factors like proximity, location, and uniform affect obedience levels, drawing on real-world applications and critical evaluations of the research. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Explores Milgram’s situational variables, including proximity, location, and uniform, and their effects on obedience. Each variation is explained with key findings and contextual applications. Interactive Activities: Features engaging tasks like the “Higher or Lower” activity, where students predict how obedience rates change under different conditions. A summary worksheet also reinforces the learning, prompting students to complete data tables and graphically display the findings from Milgram’s variations. Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions, such as evaluating the situational variables and understanding their impact on obedience, along with model answers and evaluation worksheets to support student exam preparation. Critical Evaluation: Students are guided to evaluate Milgram’s methodology, considering both strengths (like control and replicability) and limitations (such as ethical concerns and demand characteristics). The lesson also discusses the socially sensitive implications of situational explanations for obedience. This resource is ideal for classroom teaching and independent study, helping students deepen their understanding of obedience and the situational factors that influence human behaviour.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Milgram’s Variation Experiments and the impact of situational variables on obedience. This lesson provides students with an in-depth understanding of how factors like proximity, location, and uniform affect obedience levels, drawing on real-world applications and critical evaluations of the research. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Explores Milgram’s situational variables, including proximity, location, and uniform, and their effects on obedience. Each variation is explained with key findings and contextual applications. Interactive Activities: Features engaging tasks like the “Higher or Lower” activity, where students predict how obedience rates change under different conditions. A summary worksheet also reinforces the learning, prompting students to complete data tables and graphically display the findings from Milgram’s variations. Assessment Materials: Includes exam-style questions, such as evaluating the situational variables and understanding their impact on obedience, along with model answers and evaluation worksheets to support student exam preparation. Critical Evaluation: Students are guided to evaluate Milgram’s methodology, considering both strengths (like control and replicability) and limitations (such as ethical concerns and demand characteristics). The lesson also discusses the socially sensitive implications of situational explanations for obedience. This resource is ideal for classroom teaching and independent study, helping students deepen their understanding of obedience and the situational factors that influence human behaviour.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Milgram’s Research into Obedience (1963). This lesson explores the procedures, findings, and ethical considerations of Milgram’s study, offering critical insights into why individuals obey authority figures even when asked to perform morally questionable actions. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Provides detailed explanations of Milgram’s aim, procedure, and findings, including the famous “shock experiment” and its implications for understanding obedience to authority. Interactive Activities: Includes a “Do Now” task to engage students in thinking about why people obey authority figures, as well as “Think-Pair-Share” discussions on the ethical issues and validity of Milgram’s research. Assessment Materials: Offers practice exam questions such as evaluating the methodology of Milgram’s study and discussing the ethical issues involved. Model answers and structured evaluation worksheets are included to support students’ exam preparation. Ethical and Methodological Evaluation: Students are guided to critically evaluate Milgram’s study, focusing on both its methodological strengths (such as control and replicability) and its ethical challenges (such as deception and psychological harm). Discussion extends to modern ethical standards and how they emerged partly as a result of Milgram’s research. This resource is perfect for both classroom teaching and independent study, allowing students to deeply explore the complexities of obedience, authority, and the ethical responsibilities of psychological research.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Asch’s Research (1951, 1955) and its exploration of conformity. This resource offers students a detailed understanding of Asch’s experiments, key findings, and critical evaluation, including variations in group size, unanimity, and task difficulty. Through engaging activities, exam practice, and model answers, students will deepen their grasp of social influence and its real-world applications. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Covers the methodology, findings, and conclusions of Asch’s research on conformity. Includes an in-depth look at variations in his experiments and their impact on conformity levels. Interactive Activities: Features a “Do Now” task on types of conformity, a “Think-Pair-Share” discussion on Asch’s findings, and the “Asch by Numbers” activity, where students connect key statistics to Asch’s research. Assessment Materials: Includes a practice exam question on the variables affecting conformity, such as group size and unanimity, with guidance on how Asch investigated these variables. Model answers and structured evaluation worksheets further reinforce understanding. Evaluation and Critical Thinking: Students are encouraged to critically evaluate Asch’s research by examining its strengths and limitations, including sample bias, ecological validity, and the impact of changing societal norms on conformity. This resource is ideal for both classroom teaching and independent learning, making it a valuable addition to your psychology lessons on social influence.

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on types and explanations of conformity within the topic of social influence. It explores key concepts such as compliance, identification, and internalisation, as well as the main theoretical explanations of conformity (informational social influence and normative social influence). The lesson provides real-world applications, case studies, and interactive activities to enhance students’ understanding of social conformity. Key Features: Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Includes detailed explanations of different types of conformity and the factors influencing them, supported by real-life examples, such as peer pressure and workplace norms. Interactive Activities: Features a “Do Now” prompt to engage students, think-pair-share discussions, and a case study on the application of social influence theories. Assessment Materials: Offers practice exam questions related to conformity, with model answers provided to aid effective exam preparation. Activities include a key term matching exercise to consolidate learning on the topic of social influence. Evaluation Tasks: Incorporates opportunities for students to critically evaluate research studies, such as Lucas et al. (2006) and Asch’s experiments, with evaluation sheets to guide their analysis. This lesson provides an engaging approach to the topic of social influence, making it suitable for both classroom teaching and independent student learning.