Social influence past paper questions

Question 1

In an experiment, researchers arranged for participants to complete a very personal and embarrassing questionnaire in a room with other people. Each participant was tested individually. The other people were confederates of the experimenter.
In condition 1: the confederates completed the questionnaire.
In condition 2: the confederates refused to complete the questionnaire and asked to leave the experiment.
The researchers tested 15 participants in condition 1, and 15 different participants in condition 2.

Answer 1

Using your knowledge of social influence, explain the likely outcome of this experiment.
[3 marks]

• accept reference to normative social influence – participants will follow the majority to avoid rejection/fit in
• the participants in condition 2 experienced social support/disobedient role models and so were more likely to defy the researchers
• accept reference to diffusion of responsibility/increased confidence to defy orders in condition 2
+
• accept explanation based on relevant studies, eg Asch variations.

Question 2

Discuss the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience.
[8 marks]

Answer 2

AO1 Possible content:
• authoritarian personality is a collection of traits developed from strict/rigid parenting
• examples of traits – conformist/conventional/dogmatic/hostile towards those of perceived lower status (scapegoating)
• obedient/servile towards people of perceived higher status.
• assessment of the authoritarian personality using the F-scale
AO3 Possible discussion points:
• dispositional explanations cannot explain obedience in entire societies
• research findings in obedience studies, eg Milgram can be more readily explained by situational factors
• use of evidence/analysis of evidence to illustrate the validity of the explanation, eg using the F-scale
• methodological evaluation of evidence if used to discuss the strength, or otherwise, of the explanation
• comparison with alternatives.

Question 3

Outline one alternative explanation for obedience.

[3 marks]

Answer 3

Possible explanations:
• legitimacy of authority: of context/setting; genuineness/status of authority figure
• agentic shift/state: person ‘unthinkingly’ carries out orders; diffusion of responsibility
• accept situational factors/variables that affect obedience if these are presented as explanations eg proximity; location; uniform.
• accept other possible explanations, eg ‘foot in the door’/gradual commitment; presence of ‘buffers’; locus of control

Question 4

Which of the following terms best matches the statements below? Choose one term
that matches each statement and write A, B, C, D or E in the box next to it. Use each
letter once only.
A Identification
B Informational social influence
C Normative social influence
D Compliance
E Internalisation

Answer 4

Publically changing behaviour whilst maintaining a
different private view.
[1 mark]

D Comlpiance

Question 5

Group pressure leading to a desire to fit in with the group.
[1 mark]
Choose one term :that matches each statement:
A Identification
B Informational social influence
C Normative social influence
D Compliance
E Internalisation

Answer 5

C Normative social influence

Question 6

When a person lacks knowledge of how to behave and
looks to the group for guidance.
[1 mark] 
 Choose one term that matches each statement:
A Identification
B Informational social influence
C Normative social influence
D Compliance
E Internalisation

Answer 6

B Informational social influence

Question 7

Conforming to the behaviour of a role model.
[1 mark]
 Choose one term that matches each statement:
A Identification
B Informational social influence
C Normative social influence
D Compliance
E Internalisation

Answer 7

A Identification

Question 8

Briefly outline and evaluate the findings of any one study of social influence.
[4 marks]

Answer 8

AO1 Content
Outline of findings of any study of social influence, eg Asch, Milgram, Zimbardo but any study of social influence is acceptable. Accept detail of variations as well as original findings.
AO3 Content
Evaluation of findings, eg analysis of implication of findings; methodological issues such as validity.

Question 9

Discuss two explanations of resistance to social influence.Refer to the views expressed by Jack and Sarah in the conversation. [16 marks]
2 students were discussing the topic social influence.
‘I find it fascinating how some people are able to resist social influence’, said Jack. ‘It must be the result of having a confident personality.’
‘I disagree’, replied Sarah. ‘I think resisting social influence depends much more on the presence of others.’
AO1 part

Answer 9

AO1 Content
Knowledge/description of two explanations of resistance to social influence :
• locus of control – people with an internal locus of control more likely to resist pressure to conform and less likely to obey than those with an external locus of control; people with an internal locus of control believe they control own circumstances; less concerned with social approval. Credit measurement of locus of control (Rotter, 1966)
• social support – defiance/non-conformity more likely if others are seen to resist influence; seeing others disobey/not conform gives observer confidence to do so; description of forms of social support – disobedient role models (obedience), having an ally (conformity); explanation of why these produce resistance, eg breaks unanimity of group in conformity situations, challenges legitimacy of authority figure.
Other
• being in an autonomous state; previous experience; gender; culture; high level of moral reasoning; reactance/the ‘boomerang effect’.
conformity and obedience, eg (lack of) uniform; (increased) distance between participant and victim/authority figure; (reduced) group size; (lack of) ambiguity of task.
Credit knowledge of relevant evidence, eg Gamson et al (1982), Schurz (1985), Feldman and Scheibe (1972), Milgram (1963), Asch (1951).

Question 10

Discuss two explanations of resistance to social influence. Refer to the views expressed by Jack and Sarah in the conversation. [16 marks]
2 students were discussing the topic social influence.
‘I find it fascinating how some people are able to resist social influence’, said Jack. ‘It must be the result of having a confident personality.’
‘I disagree’, replied Sarah. ‘I think resisting social influence depends much more on the presence of others.’
AO2 part

Answer 10

AO2 Possible application:
• Jack suggests that dispositional factors in resisting social influence are more important
• Sarah indicates that situational factors are more powerful
• ‘strong personality’ could be read as having an internal locus of control that makes someone better able to resist social influence
• ‘what other people are doing at the time’ relates to whether ‘they’ are seen to be conforming/obeying, suggesting social support is influential in resisting social influence.

Question 11

Discuss two explanations of resistance to social influence. Refer to the views expressed by Jack and Sarah in the conversation. [16 marks]
2 students were discussing the topic social influence.
‘I find it fascinating how some people are able to resist social influence’, said Jack. ‘It must be the result of having a confident personality.’
‘I disagree’, replied Sarah. ‘I think resisting social influence depends much more on the presence of others.’
AO3 part

Answer 11

AO3 Possible discussion points:
• commentary on two explanations of resistance to social influence
• use of evidence to support/illustrate the influence of the explanations chosen, eg specific studies of defiance/non-conformity and/or variations of Aschs and/or Milgrams basic experiments that demonstrated increased resistance
• use of real-world examples to illustrate the explanations
• other social psychological concepts/processes used to support discussion of the explanations, eg influence of social support may be explained by reduced normative pressure, minority influence
• comparison/analysis of the relative power of the explanations
• discussion/analysis of different forms of resistance, eg independent behaviour vs anti-conformity.

Question 12

Outline two explanations for obedience.

[6 marks]

Answer 12

Possible explanations:
 Authoritarian personality: a collection of traits/dispositions developed from strict/rigid
parenting; examples of traits – conformist /conventional/dogmatic; obedient/servile towards
people of perceived higher status
 Legitimacy of authority: of context/setting; genuineness/status of authority figure.
 Agentic shift/state: person ‘unthinkingly’ carries out orders; diffusion of responsibility.
 Accept other possible explanations: eg ‘foot in the door’/gradual commitment; credit
situational ‘factors’ that affect obedience if these are presented as explanations.
 Accept details of Milgram`s original study/variation/other obedience research as
elaboration/illustration of the explanation.

Question 13

A small group of environmentally-aware sixth form students are campaigning for
their school to become ‘paper-free’ for the next six months. Recently, they had a
meeting with a group of teachers who represent the teaching staff. The teachers
told the students that the school could become ‘paper-free’ if the group of students
could convince the rest of the student body it was a good idea.
Use your knowledge of conformity and minority influence to explain the factors that will
determine how successful the small group of students will be.
[7 marks]

Answer 13

 Factors affecting minority influence: the student body are more likely to be convinced if the
group of students are consistent, committed and show flexibility in their views
 Credit examples of how the students might demonstrate this.
 Credit application of explanations of minority influence: eg social cryptoamnesia; the
snowball effect; social impact theory.
 Application of variables affecting conformity, including group size (the campaigning group is
‘small’, the student body is the majority); unanimity (there may be other students who agree
with the small group); etc.
 Credit application of explanations of conformity: eg explanations of how views may change
through informational social influence/internalisation.

Question 14

Outline the procedures and findings of Zimbardo`s research into conformity to
social roles.

Answer 14

Procedure: details of the sample, the basic set-up, how participants were recruited,
processes used to deindividuate/establish roles, etc.
 Findings: increased passivity of the prisoners in the face of increased brutality of the
guards; study abandoned after 5 days; pathological reactions of the prisoners, etc.

Question 15

Briefly discuss two criticisms of Zimbardo`s research into conformity to social roles.
[4 marks]

Answer 15

Possible criticisms and discussion:
 Ethical issues: lack of informed consent, whether or not the consent gained was sufficiently
informed; deception; lack of protection from psychological harm – whether or not the
distress should have been anticipated
 Zimbardo playing a ‘dual-role’. Zimbardo’s own behaviour affected the way in which events
unfolded, thus the validity of the findings could be questioned
 Methodological issues: sample bias; demand characteristics/lack of internal validity; lack of
ecological validity/mundane realism and their implications for the findings
 Accept positive points if justified: led to reform of real prisons; valuable insight into human
nature, etc.
 Note that a discussion of two ethical issues/criticisms could gain full marks.

Question 16

Which of the following statements best describes the agentic state?

A) People feel responsible for their actions and act according to their own principles
B) People feel that they are not responsible for the actions of a group
C) People make others feel responsible for their actions
D) People no longer feel responsible for their actions as they are acting for an authority figure
[1 mark]

Answer 16

D

Question 17

Select the phrase that best describes internalisation.
Shade one box only.
A The individual adopts a role as a member of a group
B The individual changes his/her beliefs but it is a temporary change
C T he individual changes his/her public and private beliefs
D The individual goes along with the group but does not agree
with them
[1 mark]

Answer 17

C

Question 18

Briefly outline and evaluate normative social influence as an explanation for conformity.
[4 marks]

Answer 18

Possible content:
• People agree with the opinion of the majority in order to be liked and gain approval/acceptance/avoid rejection/avoid ridicule.
• This often leads to compliance which is where people will agree publicly with the group but privately they do not change their personal opinions.
Possible evaluation points:
• Evidence to support, e.g. Asch – when interviewed afterwards participants said they conformed to avoid rejection by others
• There are individual differences in how much people want to be liked by others and therefore not everyone will conform due to this desire
• Other explanations, e.g. informational social influence, conformity to social roles, social identity theory.
Credit any other relevant points

Question 19

Daniel and Matthew are in the same class at school but have very different views on success. Daniel is convinced that success is due to hard work and determination, whilst Matthew believes that luck and fate determine success.
The class is putting on a play and neither Daniel nor Matthew wants to participate. Their friends are trying to persuade them to take part.

Answer 19

He believes that people are successful due to hard work and determination
• Daniel is less likely to rely on the opinion of others in the class, making him more immune to social influence
• Daniel will see himself as more of a leader than a follower, making him less likely to follow the majority
• Daniel will not seek social approval as much as those who are externals
• Use of research to support the explanation or as part of the explanation can get credit (eg Avtgis, 1998) but not required to get full marks.
Credit other relevant points.

Question 20

Explain how Tom’s refusal to take part might affect Daniel’s and Matthew’s ability to resist social influence.

Answer 20

• Tom’s refusal will increase their ability to resist social influence/they will be less likely to take part in the play.
• Tom acts as social support/presence of a role model of non-conformity
• Tom may not affect Daniel due to Daniel’s internal locus of control
• Tom may affect Matthew due to Matthew’s external locus of control

Question 21

Outline research into the effect of situational variables on obedience and discuss what this tells us about why people obey. AO1
[12 marks]

Answer 21

Knowledge of procedure and/or findings of research into the effects of:
• Proximity - Milgram - teacher and the learner were in the same room, obedience decreased; touch proximity condition; experimenter leaves the room, obedience decreased
• Location - Milgram – run-down office block vs Yale; Hofling hospital location
• Uniform - Bickman – more likely to obey a man dressed as a guard. In Milgram’s experiment the experimenter wore a grey lab coat

Question 22

Outline research into the effect of situational variables on obedience and discuss what this tells us about why people obey. AO3
[12 marks]

Answer 22

Possible discussion points about what the research tells us about why people obey:
• Analysis of the effects of variations
• Discussion of reasons why rate of obedience changes (agentic/autonomous state; legitimacy of authority; personality/dispositional factors)
• Methodological evaluation of research when used to analyse the variables eg demand characteristics, external validity may be more a feature of some variations than others
• Use of systematic procedures to ensure that cause and effect could be established. This enables conclusions to be drawn
• Use of evidence/real-life examples to support or contradict the research into the effect of variables eg Mandel (1998) – mass killing of Jews was undertaken in close proximity of the victims without protest; Slater’s (2006) study in a virtual environment included a condition where the participant had to shock the leaner via text from a mobile phone.

Question 23

In the UK, views on homosexuality have changed significantly in recent times. Thirty years ago, almost two-thirds of the British public opposed same-sex relationships because they were ‘morally wrong’. These days, homosexuality is accepted and the majority of British people support recent changes to the laws on gay marriage and adoption.
With reference to the article above, explain how social influence leads to social change.
[6 marks]

Answer 23

 factors affecting minority influence including consistency, commitment and flexibility
 social change occurs when minority view, eg Gay Rights campaigners, challenges majority view and is eventually accepted as the majority theory related to conformity such as informational social influence and/or internalisation, influence of obedience, eg changes to the laws making equal rights more of a social
norm

Question 24

Describe and evaluate two studies of social influence.

[12 marks]

Answer 24

Possible content:
 likely studies include Milgram 1963, 1974, Asch 1951, 1956, Zimbardo 1971, but credit other relevant answers
 description of procedure/method, findings and/or conclusions
 credit also detail of variations/replications of original studies.
Possible evaluation points:
 relevant ethical issues and how these arose in studies chosen, eg deception; (lack of) informed consent; protection from harm etc
 counter-arguments such as why deception or other unethical procedures were necessary – to reduce/prevent demand characteristics, and thus increase validity
 relevant methodological issues such as validity (including temporal validity); sample bias; demand characteristics/internal validity etc
 counter-arguments, eg justification for methodological shortcomings – artificial procedures can have real-world relevance; studies were replicated with different samples, cultures, etc
 procedures designed to address ethical issues, eg use of debriefing/retrospective consent
 cost-benefit analyses of methodological/ethical concerns vs relative merits/importance of findings.

Question 25

Outline two explanations for obedience.

[6 marks]

Answer 25

Possible explanations:
• Authoritarian personality: a collection of traits/dispositions developed from strict/rigid
parenting; examples of traits – conformist /conventional/dogmatic; obedient/servile towards
people of perceived higher status
• Legitimacy of authority: of context/setting; genuineness/status of authority figure.
• Agentic shift/state: person ‘unthinkingly’ carries out orders; diffusion of responsibility.
• Accept other possible explanations: eg ‘foot in the door’/gradual commitment; credit
situational ‘factors’ that affect obedience if these are presented as explanations.
• Accept details of Milgram`s original study/variation/other obedience research as
elaboration/illustration of the explanation.

Question 26

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.
(Total 4 marks)

Answer 26

• Social influence research tells us how behaviour and attitudes can be changed: eg
how minority influence can be exerted or how people tend to conform to perceived
norms (or reference to any other relevant social influence process).
• In this case, the resulting change of eating more healthily means that people should
be more healthy.
• Economic implication: eg saves health service / care resources; means less time off
work sick.
Credit other relevant information

Question 27

A small environmental group wants to encourage people to use public transport or bicycles
instead of using their cars.
Using your knowledge of the role of minority influence in social change, what advice would you
give the environmental group? [6 marks]

Answer 27

For a minority to be successful in bringing about social change, it needs to be consistent,
flexible and non-dogmatic. It helps if the members of the minority have an internal locus of
control and can show that they have the skills with which to challenge the beliefs and
attitudes of the majority. So the advice to the environmental group would be to remain
consistent in their views when talking to members of the majority. Moscovici’s research
demonstrated that consistency was an effective strategy. It would also help if the
environmental group could demonstrate that they were not acting out of self-interest, but
because they believe that using public transport or bicycles is the best policy. They are not
going to gain anything for themselves if people start following their behaviours. If they can
also show that they have made personal sacrifices, such as having given up using their
own cars, then they would be much more likely to have an effect on the majority.

Question 28

Explain what is meant by internalisation. [3 marks]

Answer 28

Internalisation is where you accept the group’s beliefs as yours
You change both your public and private views and it is a permanent change as you continue to think this even when not in the group

Question 29

Explain what is meant by compliance.. [ 3 marks]

Answer 29

Compliance is where you go along with the group to fit in even if you don’t really believe their view point for example, in Asch’s study, many of the naïve participants went along with the wrong answer so as not to look stupid.

Question 30

Briefly discuss the Authoritarian Personality as an explanation for obedience to authority. [4 marks]

Answer 30

Award up to two marks for an outline of the Authoritarian Personality as an explanation for obedience to authority.
AO2
Award up to two marks for discussion which may be for two brief points or a single
point that is elaborated.
Likely points: measurement of authoritarianism relies on self-report (F-scale) data
which may be unreliable; contrast with situational factors (Milgram) e.g proximity of
authority figure, may have greater influence on obedience levels; difficulty in
establishing cause and effect between authoritarianism / parenting style and
obedience; explanation cannot easily account for obedience of entire social groups /
societies.

Question 31

Apart from personality type, outline one psychological explanation for defiance of authority. [2 marks]

Answer 31

Award up to two marks for an outline of one psychological explanation for defiance.
Award one mark for identification / brief outline of a relevant explanation and one
mark for elaboration / expansion which could be through an example.
Likely explanations: the influence of disobedient role models / social support; being in
an autonomous state; past experience; opportunity to question the motives of the
authority figure; personal conviction.
Also credit the inverse of factors / explanations usually used to explain obedience to
authority eg (lack of) proximity of authority figure; proximity of victim; (lack of)
legitimacy of authority figure / uniform / setting.
Credit descriptions of evidence used as elaboration / expansion eg detail of
Milgram`s variations that led to an increase in defiance.

Question 32

Explain how a minority can bring about social change. [4 marks]

Answer 32

Unlike majority influence, which maintains the status quo, minority influence brings about social
change. If a minority is consistent, flexible and non-dogmatic, they can challenge the beliefs held
by the majority. Over time, through the snowball effect the minority becomes the majority and
their beliefs become widely held. Sometimes through social crypto-amnesia, the original source
of the influence is forgotten. Candidates may refer to research such as that by Moscovici, but the
focus of the answer should be on explaining social change, rather than on describing his
research itself.

Question 33

Using your knowledge of psychology, explain why some people might resist pressures to
conform. [ 4 mark]

Answer 33

People resist pressure to conform for a variety of reasons:
• Desire for individuation
• Have an internal locus of control
• Support of colleague
• Prior commitment
• Dispositional Factors
• Models of independence / non-conformity
• Exposure to dissent.

Question 34

Explain what is meant by informational social influence.[3 marks]

Answer 34

Informational social influence is where someone conforms because they do not know what to do,
but they want to be correct. They follow the majority because the assume that the majority know
what is the right thing to do. This type of social influence tends to involve internalisation.

Question 35

Explain what is meant by normative social influence.[3 marks]

Answer 35

Normative social influence is where someone conforms because they want to be liked and
accepted by the group. The person may publicly change their behaviour / views but privately
disagree. This type of social influence is also known as compliance.