AQA-A-level Psychology Paper 1 Questions & Answers(GRADED A+)

Kelman - ANSWER 1958. Proposed three types of conformity. Conformity - ANSWER Yielding to group pressure. Behaviour and/or beliefs are influenced by a larger group of people. Internalisation - ANSWER Public and private. Validation process. Change own beliefs. Identification - ANSWER Accept influence to establish a relationship with a group. To feel part of a group. Internalisation and compliance. Compliance - ANSWER Public not private. No change in personal opinion. To fain approval. To fit in with a group Informational social influence - ANSWER A type of internalisation. Accepts information from others as evidence about reality. More confidence in their beliefs. Normative social influence - ANSWER Go along with the majority without accepting their point of view whilst believing that they are under surveillance by the group. Evaluation of types of conformity - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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. Cultural differences in conformity - Smith et al (2006) Perrin and Spencer - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER How large or small a group of participants is. Unanimity - ANSWER Where everyone agrees. Task difficulty - ANSWER How easy or hard a part of an experiment is. Variables affecting conformity - ANSWER Group size, Unanimity, Task difficulty Stanford prison experiment - ANSWER 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). 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 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 - ANSWER 2006 . Tried to recreate the results of the Stanford prison experiment. Broadcast on tv. Participants did not confrom automatically to social roles. Social roles - ANSWER Behaviour expected of an individual who occupies a given position or status.