AQA PSYCHOLOGY COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM SCRIPT 2026 FULL QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Q1. Which type of conformity involves both public and private acceptance of
group norms?
A) Compliance
B) Identification
C) Internalisation
D) Ingratiation
Answer: C) Internalisation
Rationale: Internalisation is the deepest level of conformity, where an individual
genuinely accepts the group's beliefs privately and publicly. Compliance (A) is
superficial and temporary. Identification (B) involves adopting behaviours to be
accepted but not necessarily private belief. Ingratiation (D) is not a type of
conformity.
Q2. In Asch’s (1951) line-judgement study, what percentage of participants
conformed at least once?
A) 32%
B) 5%
C) 75%
D) 12.5%
Answer: C) 75%
Rationale: While the average conformity rate on critical trials was 32%, 75% of
participants conformed at least once. This highlights the strong pressure to
conform even in unambiguous situations.
Q3. According to Milgram, the 'agentic state' occurs when:
A) A person feels fully responsible for their actions
,B) A person sees themselves as acting on behalf of an authority figure and feels
reduced personal responsibility
C) A person rebels against authority
D) A person experiences high anxiety
Answer: B)
Rationale: In the agentic state, the individual acts as an 'agent' for authority,
shifting responsibility away from themselves. This contrasts with the autonomous
state (A), where they feel personally responsible.
Q4. Which of the following is NOT a situational variable affecting obedience in
Milgram’s research?
A) Proximity of the authority figure
B) Uniform
C) Location
D) Authoritarian personality
Answer: D) Authoritarian personality
Rationale: Authoritarian personality is a dispositional (personality) explanation,
not a situational variable. Proximity, uniform, and location are all situational
factors Milgram manipulated.
Q5. Which factor increases the likelihood of resistance to social influence?
A) High internal locus of control
B) Low self-esteem
C) High need for social approval
D) Weak social support
Answer: A) High internal locus of control
Rationale: Internals believe they control their own fate, making them more
confident and resistant to conformity/obedience pressures. Externals (low
internal) are more susceptible.
,Q6. Minority influence is most effective when the minority is:
A) Rigid and dogmatic
B) Inconsistent
C) Consistent, committed, and flexible
D) Large in number
Answer: C) Consistent, committed, and flexible
Rationale: Moscovici identified consistency (saying the same thing over time),
commitment (showing dedication), and flexibility (not being dogmatic) as key to
successful minority influence.
Q7. The 'snowball effect' in social change refers to:
A) A gradual increase in the adoption of a minority view until it becomes the
majority
B) A sudden revolution
C) The spread of aggressive behaviour in crowds
D) The decline of a social movement
Answer: A)
Rationale: The snowball effect describes how a minority view gains momentum
slowly, attracting more supporters until it reaches a tipping point and becomes
the new norm.
Q8. Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrated the power of:
A) Dispositional factors
B) Social roles and situational factors
C) Genetic inheritance
D) Brain structure
Answer: B) Social roles and situational factors
Rationale: Zimbardo argued that the abusive behaviour of guards and passivity of
prisoners arose from conforming to assigned social roles, not from their inherent
personalities.
, Q9. Which of the following best explains why obedience dropped when the
learner was in the same room as the teacher in Milgram’s variation?
A) Reduced proximity made it harder to ignore the learner's suffering
B) The authority figure seemed less legitimate
C) Participants had more social support
D) The location changed
Answer: A) Reduced proximity
Rationale: When the learner was closer (same room), the teacher could see and
hear their distress more directly, making it harder to obey. Proximity is a key
situational factor.
Q10. 'Informational Social Influence' leads to conformity because:
A) We want to be liked by the group
B) We believe the group is correct and we want to be right
C) We fear rejection
D) We are following orders
Answer: B)
Rationale: Informational social influence is a cognitive process where we assume
the majority has better knowledge, so we adopt their view to be accurate.
Normative social influence (A and C) is about being liked/accepted.
Q11. A limitation of Asch’s research is that it:
A) Used a realistic task
B) Was conducted in a natural setting
C) Used a biased sample of American male participants, limiting generalisability
D) Had high ecological validity
Answer: C)
Rationale: Asch used only American male undergraduates, meaning findings may
not generalise to women, other cultures, or older populations. The task was
artificial (low ecological validity).
EXAM SCRIPT 2026 FULL QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Q1. Which type of conformity involves both public and private acceptance of
group norms?
A) Compliance
B) Identification
C) Internalisation
D) Ingratiation
Answer: C) Internalisation
Rationale: Internalisation is the deepest level of conformity, where an individual
genuinely accepts the group's beliefs privately and publicly. Compliance (A) is
superficial and temporary. Identification (B) involves adopting behaviours to be
accepted but not necessarily private belief. Ingratiation (D) is not a type of
conformity.
Q2. In Asch’s (1951) line-judgement study, what percentage of participants
conformed at least once?
A) 32%
B) 5%
C) 75%
D) 12.5%
Answer: C) 75%
Rationale: While the average conformity rate on critical trials was 32%, 75% of
participants conformed at least once. This highlights the strong pressure to
conform even in unambiguous situations.
Q3. According to Milgram, the 'agentic state' occurs when:
A) A person feels fully responsible for their actions
,B) A person sees themselves as acting on behalf of an authority figure and feels
reduced personal responsibility
C) A person rebels against authority
D) A person experiences high anxiety
Answer: B)
Rationale: In the agentic state, the individual acts as an 'agent' for authority,
shifting responsibility away from themselves. This contrasts with the autonomous
state (A), where they feel personally responsible.
Q4. Which of the following is NOT a situational variable affecting obedience in
Milgram’s research?
A) Proximity of the authority figure
B) Uniform
C) Location
D) Authoritarian personality
Answer: D) Authoritarian personality
Rationale: Authoritarian personality is a dispositional (personality) explanation,
not a situational variable. Proximity, uniform, and location are all situational
factors Milgram manipulated.
Q5. Which factor increases the likelihood of resistance to social influence?
A) High internal locus of control
B) Low self-esteem
C) High need for social approval
D) Weak social support
Answer: A) High internal locus of control
Rationale: Internals believe they control their own fate, making them more
confident and resistant to conformity/obedience pressures. Externals (low
internal) are more susceptible.
,Q6. Minority influence is most effective when the minority is:
A) Rigid and dogmatic
B) Inconsistent
C) Consistent, committed, and flexible
D) Large in number
Answer: C) Consistent, committed, and flexible
Rationale: Moscovici identified consistency (saying the same thing over time),
commitment (showing dedication), and flexibility (not being dogmatic) as key to
successful minority influence.
Q7. The 'snowball effect' in social change refers to:
A) A gradual increase in the adoption of a minority view until it becomes the
majority
B) A sudden revolution
C) The spread of aggressive behaviour in crowds
D) The decline of a social movement
Answer: A)
Rationale: The snowball effect describes how a minority view gains momentum
slowly, attracting more supporters until it reaches a tipping point and becomes
the new norm.
Q8. Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrated the power of:
A) Dispositional factors
B) Social roles and situational factors
C) Genetic inheritance
D) Brain structure
Answer: B) Social roles and situational factors
Rationale: Zimbardo argued that the abusive behaviour of guards and passivity of
prisoners arose from conforming to assigned social roles, not from their inherent
personalities.
, Q9. Which of the following best explains why obedience dropped when the
learner was in the same room as the teacher in Milgram’s variation?
A) Reduced proximity made it harder to ignore the learner's suffering
B) The authority figure seemed less legitimate
C) Participants had more social support
D) The location changed
Answer: A) Reduced proximity
Rationale: When the learner was closer (same room), the teacher could see and
hear their distress more directly, making it harder to obey. Proximity is a key
situational factor.
Q10. 'Informational Social Influence' leads to conformity because:
A) We want to be liked by the group
B) We believe the group is correct and we want to be right
C) We fear rejection
D) We are following orders
Answer: B)
Rationale: Informational social influence is a cognitive process where we assume
the majority has better knowledge, so we adopt their view to be accurate.
Normative social influence (A and C) is about being liked/accepted.
Q11. A limitation of Asch’s research is that it:
A) Used a realistic task
B) Was conducted in a natural setting
C) Used a biased sample of American male participants, limiting generalisability
D) Had high ecological validity
Answer: C)
Rationale: Asch used only American male undergraduates, meaning findings may
not generalise to women, other cultures, or older populations. The task was
artificial (low ecological validity).
