AQA Psychology A-Level: Social Influence Bundle (A* Notes and Exemplar Essays)

AQA Psychology A-level: Social Influence
From specification 7181, 7182 - Paper 1: Introductory topics in Psychology (I achieved an A* in Psycholology A-level in 2018, across all three papers)

Includes a lot of evaluation! - AO3 needed for high marks!

**NOTES: **

• Types of conformity - compliance, identification and internalisation
• Explanations for conformity - normative and informational social influence
• Factors affecting conformity - group size, unanimity, task difficulty and relevant studies
• Evaluation of conformity (A03)
• Conformity to social roles - Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison experiment and evaluation
• Explanations for obedience - Agentic state and legitimacy of authority
• Situational variables: proximity, location and uniform
• Dispositional explanations - the Authoritarian personality and evaluation
• Resistance to social influence and social change
• Explanations for resistance - locus of control, social support and evaluation
• Role of minority influence - commitment, consistency and flexibility principles and evaluation
• Role of social influence in social change, Civil Rights, snowballing effect**

EXAM QUESTIONS:

• Outline and evaluate explanations for conformity (16 marks)
• Discuss research by Asch into conformity (16 marks)
• Discuss research by Zimbardo into conformity (16 marks)
• Discuss research by Milgram into obedience (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate the situational factors affecting obedience (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate legitimacy of authority and the agentic state (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate Adorno’s authoritarian personality (16 marks)
• Discuss social support as an explanation for the resistance to social influence (8 marks)
• Outline and evaluate Rotter’s LOC as an explanation for resistance to social influence (16 marks)
• Discuss research into minority influence and its implications on resistance of social influence (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate social change and its implications on resistance to social influence (16 marks)