AS-LEVEL- PAPER 1 AQA
PSYCHOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS &
VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS
PASSED RATED 100% COMPLETE
Three types of conformity - Correct Answer ✔✔ Compliance, Identification and
Internalisation
Compliance - Correct Answer ✔✔ When you change your public beliefs and behaviours
to fit in with the group but your private beliefs and behaviours stay the same
Identification - Correct Answer ✔✔ When you temporarily change your private and
public beliefs to be liked by the group
Internalisation - Correct Answer ✔✔ Permanently changing public and private beliefs in
line with the group
Name of Asch's Study - Correct Answer ✔✔ The Line Judgement task
What was Asch's study investigating? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity
Sample of Asch's Study - Correct Answer ✔✔ 50 Male American Students
Number of trials where confederates gave the same wrong answer in Asch's study -
Correct Answer ✔✔ 12 out of 18
Percentage of Participants who conformed at least once in Asch's study - Correct
Answer ✔✔ 74%
Percentage of time participants gave the wrong answer - Correct Answer ✔✔ 32%
Three factors that affect Conformity - Correct Answer ✔✔ Group size, Task difficulty
and Unanimity
Effect of Unanimity on conformity rates - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity increases
when all confederates give the same wrong answer
Effect of Group size on conformity rates - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity increase to
32% when there are three or more confederates (a majority).
,Effect of Task difficulty on conformity rates - Correct Answer ✔✔ The more ambiguous
(harder) the task, the higher the conformity rates
Strengths of Asch's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ -Evidence of NSI: follow-up interviews
with participants revealed that they conformed to fit in
Weaknesses of Asch's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Unrepresentative sample-
androcentric (male) and culture bias (American)
Lacks Eco Validity- there was no consequence for being wrong.
Perrin and Spencer- repeated study with UK engineering students and found only one
student conformed in 396 trials
The two explanations of conformity - Correct Answer ✔✔ Normative social influence
(NSI) and Informational social influence (ISI)
Normative Social Influence - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conforming to fit in with the group
Informational Social Influence - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conforming by looking to the group
to know how to behave or what to believe
Name of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ The Stamford Prison Experiment
What was Zimbardo's study investigating? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity to social
roles
Sample of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ 24 Male Student volunteers
Behaviour of "Guards" in Zimbardo's experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Some were very
aggressive towards "inmates" and enforced the rules so tightly that any slipup was met
with harsh punishment. However, not all the guards were aggressive.
When taken away from the study, the "guards" returned to normal and were no longer
overly aggressive.
Ethical Issues with Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Informed Consent and
deception- the participants didn't know they would be taken from their houses
Confidentiality- Participants were taken from their homes in full view of their neighbours
Psychological and physical harm- Study had to be stopped after two days rather than
two weeks because of the "guards"
Right to Withdraw- "Inmates" believed they weren't able to leave
,Strengths of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Well controlled- the roles were
randomly assigned to limit personality differences in the riles
Weakness of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ethical issues- (see above) gives
psychology a bad reputation
Demand Characteristics- One "guard" stated that he based his behaviour on the film
"Cool Hand Luke"
Zimbardo didn't distance himself from the experiment- he acted as super-intendant of
the guards and, therefore, didn't/couldn't control the behaviour of the "guards" and
protect the "inmates" from harm
Name of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ The Yale shock experiment
What was Milgram's study investigating? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Obedience
Sample of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ 40 American Male volunteers (age 20-
50)
The minimum voltage reached in Milgram's study? - Correct Answer ✔✔ 300v
Percentage of participants that continued to 450v - Correct Answer ✔✔ 65%
Ethical issues with Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Deception- No shocks were
delivered and they were told the experiment was on memory
Right to Withdraw- Experimenter gave verbal prods whenever they tried to stop the
experiment
Physical harm- some participants were so stressed they had seizures
Strengths of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ High levels of control- the same
script was used by the confederate "receiving the shocks" and the same verbal prods
and , therefore, easily repeated
Weaknesses of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ethics- harm to participants,
deception and right to withdraw
Lacks eco validity- high levels of control and artificial setting (however can use the
nurse study as a counterpoint as it received similar results in a less artificial
environment)
Three situational factors affecting obedience - Correct Answer ✔✔ Proximity, location
and Uniform
, Percentage of people who obeyed when instructions were over the phone in Milgram's
experiment (proximity) - Correct Answer ✔✔ 20.5%
Percentage of people who obeyed when the study took place in a run-down office block
(Location) - Correct Answer ✔✔ 47.5%
Percentage of people who obeyed when the experimenter was dressed as a normal
civilian (uniform) - Correct Answer ✔✔ 20%
Findings of Bickman's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ People were more likely to obey the
confederate in a security guard's uniform (38%) than they were a confederate dressed
in civilian clothes (19%) or a milkman uniform (14%).
Strengths of situational factors explanation - Correct Answer ✔✔ Bickman's research-
38% obedience with a security guard, 19% with a civilian and 14% with milkman
Systematic- Milgram systematically changed each variable to record its effect on
obedience and was replicated with over 1000 participants
Weaknesses of situational factors explanation - Correct Answer ✔✔ It provides a
"obedience alibi"- Mandel argued that it gave people an excuse for their behaviour, by
saying they are victims of situational factors beyond their control.
Legitimacy of Authority - Correct Answer ✔✔ An explanation for obedience that states
that we are more likely to follow orders from those who we perceive to have authority in
society (e.g. police)
Other than setting, what factors can determine whether someone is a legitimate
authority figure? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Amount of
trust/Reputation/Familiarity/Uniform/Power to punish/ Amount of knowledge
Strengths of legitimacy of authority - Correct Answer ✔✔ Supporting evidence- Bickman
and Milgram's variations
Agency theory - Correct Answer ✔✔ A person is in an autonomous state until they are
confronted by an authority figure. They will then undergo an Agentic shift and is now in
the Agentic state
Autonomous state - Correct Answer ✔✔ The mental state where a person is able to do
as they please and takes responsibility for their behaviour
Agentic state - Correct Answer ✔✔ The mental state where a person has undergone
the agentic shift and no longer takes responsibility for their actions
Binding Factors - Correct Answer ✔✔ These factors keep the person in the agentic
state by shift blame and responsibility onto the authority figure, reducing moral strain
PSYCHOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS &
VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS
PASSED RATED 100% COMPLETE
Three types of conformity - Correct Answer ✔✔ Compliance, Identification and
Internalisation
Compliance - Correct Answer ✔✔ When you change your public beliefs and behaviours
to fit in with the group but your private beliefs and behaviours stay the same
Identification - Correct Answer ✔✔ When you temporarily change your private and
public beliefs to be liked by the group
Internalisation - Correct Answer ✔✔ Permanently changing public and private beliefs in
line with the group
Name of Asch's Study - Correct Answer ✔✔ The Line Judgement task
What was Asch's study investigating? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity
Sample of Asch's Study - Correct Answer ✔✔ 50 Male American Students
Number of trials where confederates gave the same wrong answer in Asch's study -
Correct Answer ✔✔ 12 out of 18
Percentage of Participants who conformed at least once in Asch's study - Correct
Answer ✔✔ 74%
Percentage of time participants gave the wrong answer - Correct Answer ✔✔ 32%
Three factors that affect Conformity - Correct Answer ✔✔ Group size, Task difficulty
and Unanimity
Effect of Unanimity on conformity rates - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity increases
when all confederates give the same wrong answer
Effect of Group size on conformity rates - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity increase to
32% when there are three or more confederates (a majority).
,Effect of Task difficulty on conformity rates - Correct Answer ✔✔ The more ambiguous
(harder) the task, the higher the conformity rates
Strengths of Asch's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ -Evidence of NSI: follow-up interviews
with participants revealed that they conformed to fit in
Weaknesses of Asch's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Unrepresentative sample-
androcentric (male) and culture bias (American)
Lacks Eco Validity- there was no consequence for being wrong.
Perrin and Spencer- repeated study with UK engineering students and found only one
student conformed in 396 trials
The two explanations of conformity - Correct Answer ✔✔ Normative social influence
(NSI) and Informational social influence (ISI)
Normative Social Influence - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conforming to fit in with the group
Informational Social Influence - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conforming by looking to the group
to know how to behave or what to believe
Name of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ The Stamford Prison Experiment
What was Zimbardo's study investigating? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Conformity to social
roles
Sample of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ 24 Male Student volunteers
Behaviour of "Guards" in Zimbardo's experiment - Correct Answer ✔✔ Some were very
aggressive towards "inmates" and enforced the rules so tightly that any slipup was met
with harsh punishment. However, not all the guards were aggressive.
When taken away from the study, the "guards" returned to normal and were no longer
overly aggressive.
Ethical Issues with Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Informed Consent and
deception- the participants didn't know they would be taken from their houses
Confidentiality- Participants were taken from their homes in full view of their neighbours
Psychological and physical harm- Study had to be stopped after two days rather than
two weeks because of the "guards"
Right to Withdraw- "Inmates" believed they weren't able to leave
,Strengths of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Well controlled- the roles were
randomly assigned to limit personality differences in the riles
Weakness of Zimbardo's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ethical issues- (see above) gives
psychology a bad reputation
Demand Characteristics- One "guard" stated that he based his behaviour on the film
"Cool Hand Luke"
Zimbardo didn't distance himself from the experiment- he acted as super-intendant of
the guards and, therefore, didn't/couldn't control the behaviour of the "guards" and
protect the "inmates" from harm
Name of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ The Yale shock experiment
What was Milgram's study investigating? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Obedience
Sample of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ 40 American Male volunteers (age 20-
50)
The minimum voltage reached in Milgram's study? - Correct Answer ✔✔ 300v
Percentage of participants that continued to 450v - Correct Answer ✔✔ 65%
Ethical issues with Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Deception- No shocks were
delivered and they were told the experiment was on memory
Right to Withdraw- Experimenter gave verbal prods whenever they tried to stop the
experiment
Physical harm- some participants were so stressed they had seizures
Strengths of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ High levels of control- the same
script was used by the confederate "receiving the shocks" and the same verbal prods
and , therefore, easily repeated
Weaknesses of Milgram's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ethics- harm to participants,
deception and right to withdraw
Lacks eco validity- high levels of control and artificial setting (however can use the
nurse study as a counterpoint as it received similar results in a less artificial
environment)
Three situational factors affecting obedience - Correct Answer ✔✔ Proximity, location
and Uniform
, Percentage of people who obeyed when instructions were over the phone in Milgram's
experiment (proximity) - Correct Answer ✔✔ 20.5%
Percentage of people who obeyed when the study took place in a run-down office block
(Location) - Correct Answer ✔✔ 47.5%
Percentage of people who obeyed when the experimenter was dressed as a normal
civilian (uniform) - Correct Answer ✔✔ 20%
Findings of Bickman's study - Correct Answer ✔✔ People were more likely to obey the
confederate in a security guard's uniform (38%) than they were a confederate dressed
in civilian clothes (19%) or a milkman uniform (14%).
Strengths of situational factors explanation - Correct Answer ✔✔ Bickman's research-
38% obedience with a security guard, 19% with a civilian and 14% with milkman
Systematic- Milgram systematically changed each variable to record its effect on
obedience and was replicated with over 1000 participants
Weaknesses of situational factors explanation - Correct Answer ✔✔ It provides a
"obedience alibi"- Mandel argued that it gave people an excuse for their behaviour, by
saying they are victims of situational factors beyond their control.
Legitimacy of Authority - Correct Answer ✔✔ An explanation for obedience that states
that we are more likely to follow orders from those who we perceive to have authority in
society (e.g. police)
Other than setting, what factors can determine whether someone is a legitimate
authority figure? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Amount of
trust/Reputation/Familiarity/Uniform/Power to punish/ Amount of knowledge
Strengths of legitimacy of authority - Correct Answer ✔✔ Supporting evidence- Bickman
and Milgram's variations
Agency theory - Correct Answer ✔✔ A person is in an autonomous state until they are
confronted by an authority figure. They will then undergo an Agentic shift and is now in
the Agentic state
Autonomous state - Correct Answer ✔✔ The mental state where a person is able to do
as they please and takes responsibility for their behaviour
Agentic state - Correct Answer ✔✔ The mental state where a person has undergone
the agentic shift and no longer takes responsibility for their actions
Binding Factors - Correct Answer ✔✔ These factors keep the person in the agentic
state by shift blame and responsibility onto the authority figure, reducing moral strain
