Past paper Questions Flashcards
Specimen Material 2016
Which 2 of the following are types of conformity? shade 2 boxes only (2 marks) A. Agentic State B. Compliance C. Group Size D. Identification E. Unanimity
B. Compliance
D. Identification
Specimen Material 2016
Briefly outline and evaluate the authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience authority (4 marks)
AO1:
Adorno et al. (1950) developed a questionnaire called the California F scale, to measure levels of authoritarian personality.
IT refers to a person who has extreme respect for authority and is more likely to be obedient to those who hold power over them.
In Milgram’s original research, psychologists questioned whether the obedience occurred due to situational factors, for example, uniform and location, or dispositional factors, such as a particular personality characteristic. In order to answer this question, Milgram conducted a follow-up study, using participants from his original research.
AO3:
Strength + Weakness:
Although Milgram didn’t look into the relationship between obedience and personality in his participants, he later interviewed some of his participants and found that the obedient ones scored high on tests of Authoritarianism which supports the explanation.
However, this only shows a correlation and not an explanation for Authoritarian Personalities because your personality might affect your obedience and not obedience affects personality.
Therefore Milgram’s conclusion is not valid
Specimen Material 2016
Describe and evaluate 2 studies of social influence (12 marks)
Asch:
Method:
- 123 American male
- 1 real participant, rest are confederates
- Shown line x and had to match it with either ABC
- Confederates gave the right answer 6/18 trials
Findings
- 32% conformity rate
- 75% of participants conformed at least once
- 25% of participants never conformed
- 5% confirmed on all of the 12 trials
Conclusion:
- The majority influence does not affect an individual, they will conform even when the majority id obviously wrong
- There are individual differences in the extent to which individuals are influenced by the majority
Weakness:
- Biased sample –> All the participants were male students who all belonged to the same age group –> study lacks population validity –> results cannot be generalized to females or older groups of people.
Another problem –> experiment used an artificial task to measure conformity - judging line lengths –> How often are we faced with making a judgment like the one Asch used, where the answer is plain to see?
- Study has low ecological validity and the results cannot be generalized to other real-life situations of conformity.
Zimbardo:
Method:
- 21 male university
- Volunteered in response to a newspaper advert
- Participants were selected on the basis of their physical and mental stability
- Each paid $15 a day
- Participants were randomly assigned to one of two social roles, prisoners or guards.
- Turned the basement of Stanford University into a mock prison
- Prisoners given a numbered smocked to wear, with chains placed around their ankles
- guards were given uniforms, dark reflective sunglasses, handcuffs and a truncheon
- Using physical violence was not allowed
- Experiment was set to run for two weeks.
Findings
- Both the prisoners and guards quickly identified with their social roles
- Prisoners rebelled
- Guards grew increasingly abusive towards the prisoners
- 5 prisoners were released from the experiment early,due to their adverse reactions to the physical and mental torment
- Experiment was terminated after just six days
Conclusion:
- People quickly conform to social roles, even when the role goes against their moral principles
- Situational factors were largely responsible for the behaviour found, as none of the participants had ever demonstrated these behaviours previously.
Weakness:
Zimbardo’s experiment has been heavily criticised for breaking many ethical guidelines, in particular, protection from harm.
Five of the prisoners left the experiment early because of their adverse reactions to the physical and mental torment.
Furthermore, some of the guards reported feelings of anxiety and guilt, as a result of their actions during the Stanford Prison Experiment.
Although Zimbardo followed the ethical guidelines of Stanford University and debriefed his participants afterwards, he acknowledged that the study should have been stopped earlier.
Specimen Material Second Set 2016
Which 2 of the following statements about Zimbardo’s prison study are correct? shade 2 boxes only (2 marks)
A. Roles affect behaviour
B. People obey authority
C. Unanimity affects behaviour
D. People conform to the Majority
E. Behaviour is influenced by loss of identity
A. Roles affect behaviour
E. Behaviour is influenced by loss of identity
Specimen Material Second Set 2016
Many people have criticised Zimbardo’s prison study
Identify and briefly discuss 2 reasons why people have criticised Zimbardo’s prison study (6 marks)
Weakness:
Zimbardo’s experiment has been heavily criticised for breaking many ethical guidelines, in particular, protection from harm.
Five of the prisoners left the experiment early because of their adverse reactions to the physical and mental torment.
Furthermore, some of the guards reported feelings of anxiety and guilt, as a result of their actions during the Stanford Prison Experiment.
Although Zimbardo followed the ethical guidelines of Stanford University and debriefed his participants afterwards, he acknowledged that the study should have been stopped earlier.
Weakness:
The study has received many ethical criticisms, including lack of fully informed consent by participants as Zimbardo himself did not know what would happen in the experiment (it was unpredictable). Also, the prisoners did not consent to being ‘arrested’ at home.
Specimen Material Second Set 2016
Social influence research helps us to understand how it is possible to change people’s behaviour: for example, understanding how to persuade people to eat more healthily
With reference to this example of social change, explain how psychology might affect the economy
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