A-level Psychology 7182/1 Introductory Topics in Psychology

QUESTION 02 Briefly outline and evaluate the findings of any one study of social influence. [4 marks] MARK SCHEME Marks for this question: AO1 = 2 and AO3 = 2 Level Marks Description 2 3–4 Findings are clear and accurate. Evaluation/analysis is clear and coherent. 1 1–2 Findings are clear but there is no evaluation, or, findings and evaluation are both incomplete/partly accurate. For 1 mark there is some detail of findings but no evaluation. 0 No relevant content. AO1 Content Outline of findings of any study of social influence, eg Asch, Milgram, Zimbardo but any study of social influence is acceptable. Accept detail of variations as well as original findings. AO3 Content Evaluation of findings, eg analysis of implication of findings; methodological issues such as validity. Exemplar Response Asch found in his simple perception task judging the length of lines in relation to a comparison line that on the 12 critical trials 37% of the responses made by the naïve participants were incorrect in line with the confederate’s responses. He found that 75% conformed at least once to an incorrect response and that they conformed on every one of the critical trials. This was compared to 0.7% error rate in the control group who completed the task alone. However, as the findings from this study are laboratory based involving a task lacking in mundane realism eg judging the length of lines, they may have little or no relevance to real life conformity and are therefore looking in ecological validity.