1|Page
A-level Psychology AQA Paper 1
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
Kelman - ✔✔1958. Proposed three types of conformity.
Conformity - ✔✔Yielding to group pressure. Behaviour and/or beliefs are influenced
by a larger group of people.
Internalisation - ✔✔Public and private. Validation process. Change own beliefs.
Identification - ✔✔Accept influence to establish a relationship with a group. To feel part
of a group. Internalisation and compliance.
Compliance - ✔✔Public not private. No change in personal opinion. To fain approval.
To fit in with a group
Informational social influence - ✔✔A type of internalisation. Accepts information from
others as evidence about reality. More confidence in their beliefs.
Normative social influence - ✔✔Go along with the majority without accepting their
point of view whilst believing that they are under surveillance by the group.
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,2|Page
Evaluation of types of conformity - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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.
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,3|Page
Cultural differences in conformity - Smith et al (2006)
Perrin and Spencer - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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 - ✔✔How large or small a group of participants is.
Unanimity - ✔✔Where everyone agrees.
Task difficulty - ✔✔How easy or hard a part of an experiment is.
Variables affecting conformity - ✔✔Group size, Unanimity, Task difficulty
Stanford prison experiment - ✔✔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).
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
, 4|Page
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 - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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.
BBC prison study - ✔✔2006 . Tried to recreate the results of the Stanford prison
experiment. Broadcast on tv. Participants did not confrom automatically to social roles.
Social roles - ✔✔Behaviour expected of an individual who occupies a given position or
status.
Milgram - ✔✔1963. 40 participants (male) assigned as the role of "teacher". Had to give
'electric shocks' to 'another participant' the "learner" who in reality was a
confederate/actor. The experiment would continue until the participant refused to
continue or 450 volts was reached. If the "teacher" tried to stop the experimenter would
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
A-level Psychology AQA Paper 1
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
Kelman - ✔✔1958. Proposed three types of conformity.
Conformity - ✔✔Yielding to group pressure. Behaviour and/or beliefs are influenced
by a larger group of people.
Internalisation - ✔✔Public and private. Validation process. Change own beliefs.
Identification - ✔✔Accept influence to establish a relationship with a group. To feel part
of a group. Internalisation and compliance.
Compliance - ✔✔Public not private. No change in personal opinion. To fain approval.
To fit in with a group
Informational social influence - ✔✔A type of internalisation. Accepts information from
others as evidence about reality. More confidence in their beliefs.
Normative social influence - ✔✔Go along with the majority without accepting their
point of view whilst believing that they are under surveillance by the group.
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,2|Page
Evaluation of types of conformity - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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.
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,3|Page
Cultural differences in conformity - Smith et al (2006)
Perrin and Spencer - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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 - ✔✔How large or small a group of participants is.
Unanimity - ✔✔Where everyone agrees.
Task difficulty - ✔✔How easy or hard a part of an experiment is.
Variables affecting conformity - ✔✔Group size, Unanimity, Task difficulty
Stanford prison experiment - ✔✔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).
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
, 4|Page
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 - ✔✔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 - ✔✔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.
BBC prison study - ✔✔2006 . Tried to recreate the results of the Stanford prison
experiment. Broadcast on tv. Participants did not confrom automatically to social roles.
Social roles - ✔✔Behaviour expected of an individual who occupies a given position or
status.
Milgram - ✔✔1963. 40 participants (male) assigned as the role of "teacher". Had to give
'electric shocks' to 'another participant' the "learner" who in reality was a
confederate/actor. The experiment would continue until the participant refused to
continue or 450 volts was reached. If the "teacher" tried to stop the experimenter would
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
