AS LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY AQA PAPER 1
ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Conformity. Answer: Yielding to group pressure. Behaviour
and/or beliefs are influenced by a larger group of people.
◉ Internalisation. Answer: Public and private. Validation process.
Change own beliefs.
◉ Identification. Answer: Accept influence to establish a relationship
with a group. To feel part of a group. Internalisation and compliance.
◉ Compliance. Answer: Public not private. No change in personal
opinion. To fain approval. To fit in with a group
◉ Informational social influence. Answer: A type of internalisation.
Accepts information from others as evidence about reality. More
confidence in their beliefs.
◉ Normative social influence. Answer: Go along with the majority
without accepting their point of view whilst believing that they are
under surveillance by the group.
,◉ Evaluation of types of conformity. Answer: Difficulties in
distinguishing between compliance and internalisation.
Research support for normative social influence - Linkenbach and
Perkins (2003)
Research support for informational influence - Wittenbrink and
Henley (1996)
Normative influence may not be detected - Nolan et al (2008)
Informational influence is moderated by task type
◉ Asch. Answer: 1956. Tested conformity. Tested 123 male US
undergraduates. Groups of all but one confederate. Asked to identify
the two of three lines that were the same length. The real participant
answered second to last. In different conditions ("critical trials"
12/18 trials) the confederates were instructed to give the same
incorrect answer. On the 12 critical tasks the average conformity
rate was 33%. ¼ never conformed in any of the critical trials. ½
conformed in six or more of the critical trials. ¹∕₂₀ conformed in all
12 critical tasks. In control conditions (confederates not answering
wrong) participants made mistakes about 1% of the time.
◉ Evaluation of Asch. Answer: Asch's research may be a child of its
time - Perrin and Spencer (1980)
Problems with determinging the effect of group size - Bond (2005)
Independent behaviour rather than conformity.
,Unconvincing confederates.
Cultural differences in conformity - Smith et al (2006)
◉ Perrin and Spencer. Answer: 1980. Attempted to repeat Asch's
study in the UK using science and engineering students. They only
obtained one conforming response out of 396 trials. In a subsequent
study (youths on probation and probation officers as participants
and confederates respectively) hey found that conformity was more
likely to occur if the percieved cost of not performing was greater.
◉ Bond. Answer: 2005. Suggests a limitation of research in
conformity is that studies have only a limited range of majority sizes.
No studies other than Asch have used a greater majority than 9 so in
reality very little is known about the effect of larger majority sizes
on conformity.
◉ Group size. Answer: How large or small a group of participants is.
◉ Unanimity. Answer: Where everyone agrees.
◉ Task difficulty. Answer: How easy or hard a part of an experiment
is.
◉ Variables affecting conformity. Answer: Group size, Unanimity,
Task difficulty
, ◉ Stanford prison experiment. Answer: 1973. Aimed to investigate
how readily people would conform to social roles of guard and
prisoner in a role-playing exercise that simulated prison life. 21 male
university student volunteers were allocated social roles (either
prisoner or guard). The prisoners were dehumanised ("arrested",
delousing procedure, prison number).
Zimbardo took the role of prison superintendent. The prisoners and
guards quickly identified with their roles with the guards becoming
tyrannical and abusive towards the prisoners who became passive.
Experiment was stopped after 6 days (planned 2 weeks).
◉ Evaluation of Stanford prison experiment. Answer: Conformity to
roles is not automatic.
The problem of demand characteristics - Banuazizi and Movahedi
(1975)
Ethical issues
Real world relevance - Abu Ghraib
◉ Banuazizi and Movahedi. Answer: 1975. Argued that the
behaviour of Zimbardo's guards and prisoners was not due to their
response to a 'compelling prison environment', but rather to the
characteristics in the experimental situation itself.
ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Conformity. Answer: Yielding to group pressure. Behaviour
and/or beliefs are influenced by a larger group of people.
◉ Internalisation. Answer: Public and private. Validation process.
Change own beliefs.
◉ Identification. Answer: Accept influence to establish a relationship
with a group. To feel part of a group. Internalisation and compliance.
◉ Compliance. Answer: Public not private. No change in personal
opinion. To fain approval. To fit in with a group
◉ Informational social influence. Answer: A type of internalisation.
Accepts information from others as evidence about reality. More
confidence in their beliefs.
◉ Normative social influence. Answer: Go along with the majority
without accepting their point of view whilst believing that they are
under surveillance by the group.
,◉ Evaluation of types of conformity. Answer: Difficulties in
distinguishing between compliance and internalisation.
Research support for normative social influence - Linkenbach and
Perkins (2003)
Research support for informational influence - Wittenbrink and
Henley (1996)
Normative influence may not be detected - Nolan et al (2008)
Informational influence is moderated by task type
◉ Asch. Answer: 1956. Tested conformity. Tested 123 male US
undergraduates. Groups of all but one confederate. Asked to identify
the two of three lines that were the same length. The real participant
answered second to last. In different conditions ("critical trials"
12/18 trials) the confederates were instructed to give the same
incorrect answer. On the 12 critical tasks the average conformity
rate was 33%. ¼ never conformed in any of the critical trials. ½
conformed in six or more of the critical trials. ¹∕₂₀ conformed in all
12 critical tasks. In control conditions (confederates not answering
wrong) participants made mistakes about 1% of the time.
◉ Evaluation of Asch. Answer: Asch's research may be a child of its
time - Perrin and Spencer (1980)
Problems with determinging the effect of group size - Bond (2005)
Independent behaviour rather than conformity.
,Unconvincing confederates.
Cultural differences in conformity - Smith et al (2006)
◉ Perrin and Spencer. Answer: 1980. Attempted to repeat Asch's
study in the UK using science and engineering students. They only
obtained one conforming response out of 396 trials. In a subsequent
study (youths on probation and probation officers as participants
and confederates respectively) hey found that conformity was more
likely to occur if the percieved cost of not performing was greater.
◉ Bond. Answer: 2005. Suggests a limitation of research in
conformity is that studies have only a limited range of majority sizes.
No studies other than Asch have used a greater majority than 9 so in
reality very little is known about the effect of larger majority sizes
on conformity.
◉ Group size. Answer: How large or small a group of participants is.
◉ Unanimity. Answer: Where everyone agrees.
◉ Task difficulty. Answer: How easy or hard a part of an experiment
is.
◉ Variables affecting conformity. Answer: Group size, Unanimity,
Task difficulty
, ◉ Stanford prison experiment. Answer: 1973. Aimed to investigate
how readily people would conform to social roles of guard and
prisoner in a role-playing exercise that simulated prison life. 21 male
university student volunteers were allocated social roles (either
prisoner or guard). The prisoners were dehumanised ("arrested",
delousing procedure, prison number).
Zimbardo took the role of prison superintendent. The prisoners and
guards quickly identified with their roles with the guards becoming
tyrannical and abusive towards the prisoners who became passive.
Experiment was stopped after 6 days (planned 2 weeks).
◉ Evaluation of Stanford prison experiment. Answer: Conformity to
roles is not automatic.
The problem of demand characteristics - Banuazizi and Movahedi
(1975)
Ethical issues
Real world relevance - Abu Ghraib
◉ Banuazizi and Movahedi. Answer: 1975. Argued that the
behaviour of Zimbardo's guards and prisoners was not due to their
response to a 'compelling prison environment', but rather to the
characteristics in the experimental situation itself.
