Social Psychology

What Social Psychology covers

The first Paper 1 topic, built around obedience and prejudice. It covers agency theory and social impact theory, Milgram's research and its variations, social identity and realistic conflict theory, and the self-report methods and BPS ethical framework that social research depends on.

The 27 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Agency theory and social impact theoryRecall questions on the autonomous and agentic states and binding factors, then Latané's social impact theory: strength, immediacy and number, how the three combine, and how impact divides across several targets.Open →
• Milgram's research into obedienceRecall questions on Milgram's Rundown Office Block, Telephonic Instructions and Ordinary Man Gives Orders variations and cross-cultural replications, then the 1963 baseline study: its sample, rigged draw, shock generator, prods, 65 per cent result and signs of stress.Open →
• Factors affecting obedience and resistanceRecall questions on authoritarianism and gender, disobedient allies and social support, questioning legitimacy and taking personal responsibility, proximity to the victim, and the difference between dissent, resistance and disobedience.Open →
• Social identity theory and realistic conflict theoryRecall questions on social categorisation, identification and comparison, in-group favouritism and out-group discrimination, Sherif's realistic conflict theory and competition for resources, how the two theories differ, and superordinate goals.Open →
• Factors affecting prejudice and discriminationRecall questions on the authoritarian personality, situational and cultural factors, social norms, and the distinction between prejudice and discrimination.Open →
• Individual differences in obedience and prejudiceRecall questions on dispositional differences in obedience, Adorno's authoritarian personality, punitive parenting and displaced hostility, the F-scale, rigid us-versus-them thinking, and how locus of control affects resistance to authority.Open →
• Developmental psychology in obedience and prejudiceRecall questions on how gender, culture and socialisation shape obedience and prejudice, and on how attitudes are acquired in childhood.Open →
• Designing questionnaires and interviewsRecall questions on researcher effects in questionnaires and interviews, how physical characteristics, interpersonal style, body language and expectations bias answers, and how standardised instructions, training, written questionnaires and multiple researchers reduce them.Open →
• Types of interview and questionRecall questions on structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, open and closed questions, ranked scales, and what each yields.Open →
• Alternate and null hypothesesRecall questions on what each hypothesis states, why the null is the one tested, directional and non-directional forms, and operationalisation.Open →
• Sampling techniquesRecall questions on random, stratified, volunteer and opportunity sampling, and the strengths and weaknesses of each for representativeness.Open →
• Quantitative and qualitative dataRecall questions on defining quantitative and qualitative data, what each allows in analysis, their strengths and limitations for replication and generalisation, and when qualitative data suits social psychology research better.Open →
• Analysing quantitative dataRecall questions on calculating the mean and median, bar chart axes, the range, defining and calculating standard deviation, the mode, and working Milgram's figures as fractions, ratios and percentage change, with estimating and rearranging formulae.Open →
• Thematic analysis of qualitative dataRecall questions on the stages of thematic analysis, the difference between a code and a theme, and how credibility is established.Open →
• The BPS code of ethics and conductRecall questions on the four principles of respect, competence, responsibility and integrity, and on consent, deception, debriefing and the right to withdraw.Open →
• Risk management in psychological researchRecall questions on assessing and minimising risk, protecting participants from harm, and what a researcher must do if unexpected distress arises.Open →
• Classic study: Sherif et al. (1954) Robbers CaveRecall questions on the three stages at Robbers Cave, the Rattlers and Eagles, how hostility was produced, and how superordinate goals reduced it.Open →
• Contemporary study: Burger (2009)Recall questions on why the procedure stopped at 150 volts, the screening safeguards, the 70 per cent figure, and the modelled refusal condition.Open →
• Contemporary study: Reicher and Haslam (2006)Recall questions on the BBC prison study design, why the guards did not become tyrannical, and what it concluded about tyranny and group identity.Open →
• Contemporary study: Cohrs et al. (2012)Recall questions on why peer report was used, the role of openness and agreeableness, and the route from personality through ideology to prejudice.Open →
• Key question in social psychologyRecall questions on what makes a key question relevant to society, and on applying obedience research, social identity theory, realistic conflict theory and agency theory to crowd behaviour, rioting and heroism.Open →
• Designing the practical investigationRecall questions on designing a questionnaire, sampling decisions, ethical requirements, and what has to be settled before data collection begins.Open →
• Analysing and reporting the practical investigationRecall questions on the range and standard deviation, presenting quantitative data in a bar graph and frequency table, thematic analysis of the qualitative data, and what the procedure, results and discussion sections of the report contain.Open →
• Ethics and practical issues in social psychologyRecall questions on distress, deception and consent in obedience research, the harms and misuse of prejudice research, and the practical issues of questionnaire and interview design, from wording, order effects and interviewer effects to social desirability and the self-report gap.Open →
• Nature-nurture, social control and reducing prejudiceRecall questions on the nature-nurture debate in obedience, gradual commitment, the social control concerns raised by obedience and prejudice research, and reducing prejudice through superordinate goals, education, challenging stereotypes and intergroup contact.Open →
• Reductionism and comparing explanationsRecall questions on reductionism and why agency theory is reductionist, how social identity theory and realistic conflict theory differ as explanations of prejudice, and what Burger's replication and later minimal group research show about how understanding develops.Open →
• Culture, gender and social sensitivityRecall questions on cultural and gender differences in prejudice and obedience, cross-cultural replications of Milgram, and why research on culture, obedience and racism is socially sensitive.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Social Psychology further

The same content, four other ways.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   According to agency theory, what is the autonomous state?

   Model answer

   The autonomous state is when a person acts according to their own conscience, taking personal responsibility for their actions.

2. 2

   According to agency theory, what is the agentic state?

   Model answer

   The agentic state is when a person acts as an agent for an authority figure, carrying out their orders rather than following their own conscience.

3. 3

   What are binding factors in agency theory?

   Model answer

   Binding factors are aspects of the situation that keep a person in the agentic state, such as fear of appearing rude or disrupting the situation.

4. 4

   According to social impact theory, what are the three factors that determine the level of obedience?

   Model answer

   Strength, immediacy, and number of sources of influence.

5. 5

   In social impact theory, what does 'strength' refer to as a factor influencing obedience?

   Model answer

   The importance, power, or authority of the person(s) exerting influence — sources perceived as more powerful or credible exert greater social impact.

6. 6

   How does 'immediacy' function as a factor in social impact theory?

   Model answer

   Immediacy refers to the physical or psychological closeness of the influence source to the target — the closer the source, the greater the social impact and likelihood of obedience.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Social Psychology revision questions

What does Social Psychology cover in Edexcel A-Level Psychology?

27 subtopics: agency theory and social impact theory, milgram's research into obedience, factors affecting obedience and resistance, social identity theory and realistic conflict theory, factors affecting prejudice and discrimination, individual differences in obedience and prejudice, developmental psychology in obedience and prejudice, designing questionnaires and interviews, types of interview and question, alternate and null hypotheses, sampling techniques, quantitative and qualitative data, analysing quantitative data, thematic analysis of qualitative data, the bps code of ethics and conduct, risk management in psychological research, classic study: sherif et al. (1954) robbers cave, contemporary study: burger (2009), contemporary study: reicher and haslam (2006), contemporary study: cohrs et al. (2012), key question in social psychology, designing the practical investigation, analysing and reporting the practical investigation, ethics and practical issues in social psychology, nature-nurture, social control and reducing prejudice, reductionism and comparing explanations and culture, gender and social sensitivity. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Social Psychology organised?

By the Edexcel 9PS0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.