A-Level Psychology - Exam-Style Questions - Social
Influence
Outline how Milgram investigated the effects of two factors on
obedience (4 marks)
● They replaced location from a prestigious school setting to a
run-down building.
● Compliance fell to 47%, showing they had less power in this
setting.
● In the original experiment, they wore a uniform. In a variation, the
experimenter was an ordinary member of the public dressed in
regular clothes.
● Obedience fell to 20%; this suggests uniform acts as a potent
authority symbol.
Outline Authoritarian personality traits as an explanation for
obedience (2 marks)
● People with authoritarian personality traits are incredibly obedient
to authority.
● It originates from childhood through harsh parenting, for example,
severe discipline and harsh criticism.
Outline and explain two methodological issues in Asch's studies of
social influence (4 marks)
● Participants were all white, male students (the review was
androcentric and ethnocentric)
● You can't apply the findings to women, different cultures or people
of different ages.
● The task was artificial (not an accurate representation of everyday
life)
● This means that the participants may have responded to demand
characteristics, so findings don't generalise to everyday situations
where group interactions are more frequent or essential.
Outline one psychological explanation of obedience to authority (2
marks)
Influence
Outline how Milgram investigated the effects of two factors on
obedience (4 marks)
● They replaced location from a prestigious school setting to a
run-down building.
● Compliance fell to 47%, showing they had less power in this
setting.
● In the original experiment, they wore a uniform. In a variation, the
experimenter was an ordinary member of the public dressed in
regular clothes.
● Obedience fell to 20%; this suggests uniform acts as a potent
authority symbol.
Outline Authoritarian personality traits as an explanation for
obedience (2 marks)
● People with authoritarian personality traits are incredibly obedient
to authority.
● It originates from childhood through harsh parenting, for example,
severe discipline and harsh criticism.
Outline and explain two methodological issues in Asch's studies of
social influence (4 marks)
● Participants were all white, male students (the review was
androcentric and ethnocentric)
● You can't apply the findings to women, different cultures or people
of different ages.
● The task was artificial (not an accurate representation of everyday
life)
● This means that the participants may have responded to demand
characteristics, so findings don't generalise to everyday situations
where group interactions are more frequent or essential.
Outline one psychological explanation of obedience to authority (2
marks)
