Edexcel International A Level Psychology
Edexcel International A Level Psychology Social Psychology Exam Questions
Free Edexcel International A Level Psychology exam questions for Social Psychology, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers obedience, conformity, agency theory, social impact theory, minority influence, self-report data, sampling, ethical guidelines and Moscovici's blue-green slides study.
Social Psychology exam questions
1 question pack of real past exam questions, each with its mark scheme. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can without notes, then mark every answer with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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A-Level Psychology Flashcards for 2027 Onwards
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About Edexcel International A Level Psychology Social Psychology
Social psychology in Edexcel International A Level Psychology is studied in Unit 1, Social and Cognitive Psychology. It explains how other people influence our behaviour, focusing on obedience and conformity. You study Milgram's obedience research and its variations, explanations such as agency theory and social impact theory, factors affecting obedience and dissent, and types and explanations of conformity including minority influence. Methods include questionnaires and interviews, sampling techniques, quantitative data and ethical guidelines. The classic study is Moscovici et al. (1969) on the influence of a consistent minority, and contemporary research includes Burger (2009), a partial replication of Milgram. Examiners often ask you to apply explanations to real situations.
What you need to know
- Obedience Milgram (1963) found 65% of participants went to the maximum 450V shock; variations such as location, proximity and the experimenter giving orders by telephone reduced obedience.
- Explanations of obedience Agency theory describes a shift from the autonomous to the agentic state. Social impact theory (Latané, 1981) says influence depends on strength, immediacy and number of sources.
- Conformity Types include compliance, identification and internalisation; explanations include normative and informational social influence. Asch's line studies showed conformity to an obviously wrong majority.
- Classic study: Moscovici et al. (1969) Groups of six women judged the colour of 36 blue slides. When two confederates consistently called them green, about 8.42% of responses were green, compared with about 1.25% when the minority was inconsistent.
- Contemporary study: Burger (2009) A partial replication of Milgram that stopped at 150V for ethical reasons; obedience rates were only slightly lower than Milgram's equivalent figures.
- Methods Questionnaires and interviews, open and closed questions, sampling techniques (random, stratified, volunteer, opportunity), quantitative and qualitative data, and ethical guidelines.
Common mistakes in Social Psychology
- Confusing minority influence with majority influence; minority influence usually leads to internalisation, majority influence often to compliance.
- Saying Burger replicated Milgram exactly; it stopped at 150V and used screening to protect participants.
- Mixing up compliance and internalisation.
- Stating Moscovici's minority persuaded most participants; only a small percentage of responses were green, though this was higher than with an inconsistent minority.
- Using situational and dispositional factors interchangeably.
Try three Social Psychology exam-style questions
1. Describe the findings of Moscovici et al. (1969). (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
In the consistent condition about 8.42% of answers were green, and around 32% of participants said green at least once; in the inconsistent condition only about 1.25% of answers were green; this shows consistency is important for minority influence.
2. Explain why Burger (2009) stopped his study at 150V. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
In Milgram's study, most participants who went past 150V continued to 450V; so 150V was a good predictor of full obedience; stopping there protected participants from the extreme stress seen in Milgram's study, making it more ethical.
3. Outline social impact theory. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Proposed by Latané (1981); the impact of social influence depends on the strength (status or power) of the source; its immediacy (closeness in time and space); and the number of sources present.
Social Psychology FAQs
What does Edexcel International A Level Psychology Social psychology cover?
It covers obedience, agency theory and social impact theory, factors affecting obedience, conformity and minority influence, self-report methods and sampling, ethical guidelines, Moscovici et al. (1969) and contemporary studies such as Burger (2009).
Which unit is Social psychology examined in?
Social psychology is examined in Unit 1, Social and Cognitive Psychology.
Which studies should I learn for Social psychology?
Learn Milgram's original study and variations, Moscovici et al. (1969) as the classic study, Burger (2009) and the further contemporary study your centre chooses.
