Social Psychology | Edexcel A-Level Psychology (9PS0)

Social Psychology

385 questions
27 subtopics
Paper 1: foundations in psychology, all compulsory
Paper 1 and Paper 3

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.

Sample questions from Social Psychology

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Agency theory and social impact theory

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

Show the 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.
Social identity theory and realistic conflict theory

Does social identity theory require competition between groups for prejudice to occur?

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No, mere categorisation into groups is sufficient to produce prejudice without any competition for resources.
Developmental psychology in obedience and prejudice

What environmental factors contribute to the development of cultural influences on prejudice?

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Socialisation, exposure to cultural attitudes, and learned behaviours
Alternate and null hypotheses

Why is it the null hypothesis that is formally tested?

Show the answer
Because a statistical test estimates the probability of the result if the null were true, and the null is rejected only when that probability is small enough.
Analysing quantitative data

What is the standard deviation a measure of?

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The standard deviation is a measure of dispersion, indicating how spread out the data values are around the mean.
Risk management in psychological research

Give three examples of safeguards that can be implemented to minimise risks to participants.

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Providing debriefing, ensuring the right to withdraw, and offering access to support.
Contemporary study: Reicher and Haslam (2006)

How did prisoners behave in Reicher and Haslam's study?

Show the answer
They developed a strong social identity and worked together to challenge the guards' authority.
Designing the practical investigation

What must the questionnaire data be used to investigate?

Show the answer
A difference between groups or conditions.

The 27 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Agency theory and social impact theory	Recall 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.	15
Milgram's research into obedience	Recall 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.	25
Factors affecting obedience and resistance	Recall 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.	12
Social identity theory and realistic conflict theory	Recall 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.	20
Factors affecting prejudice and discrimination	Recall questions on the authoritarian personality, situational and cultural factors, social norms, and the distinction between prejudice and discrimination.	10
Individual differences in obedience and prejudice	Recall 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.	14
Developmental psychology in obedience and prejudice	Recall questions on how gender, culture and socialisation shape obedience and prejudice, and on how attitudes are acquired in childhood.	12
Designing questionnaires and interviews	Recall 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.	10
Types of interview and question	Recall questions on structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, open and closed questions, ranked scales, and what each yields.	13
Alternate and null hypotheses	Recall questions on what each hypothesis states, why the null is the one tested, directional and non-directional forms, and operationalisation.	10
Sampling techniques	Recall questions on random, stratified, volunteer and opportunity sampling, and the strengths and weaknesses of each for representativeness.	16
Quantitative and qualitative data	Recall 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.	10
Analysing quantitative data	Recall 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.	30
Thematic analysis of qualitative data	Recall questions on the stages of thematic analysis, the difference between a code and a theme, and how credibility is established.	8
The BPS code of ethics and conduct	Recall questions on the four principles of respect, competence, responsibility and integrity, and on consent, deception, debriefing and the right to withdraw.	24
Risk management in psychological research	Recall questions on assessing and minimising risk, protecting participants from harm, and what a researcher must do if unexpected distress arises.	10
Classic study: Sherif et al. (1954) Robbers Cave	Recall questions on the three stages at Robbers Cave, the Rattlers and Eagles, how hostility was produced, and how superordinate goals reduced it.	19
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.	10
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.	10
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.	9
Key question in social psychology	Recall 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.	15
Designing the practical investigation	Recall questions on designing a questionnaire, sampling decisions, ethical requirements, and what has to be settled before data collection begins.	12
Analysing and reporting the practical investigation	Recall 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.	19
Ethics and practical issues in social psychology	Recall 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.	25
Nature-nurture, social control and reducing prejudice	Recall 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.	11
Reductionism and comparing explanations	Recall 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.	8
Culture, gender and social sensitivity	Recall 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.	8

Social Psychology is 385 of the 2,738 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £8

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.