Conformity and Obedience
Explain majority influence and obedience through social, situational and dispositional factors.
How to study for GCSE Psychology
Confirm the exact board route, connect theories to prescribed studies, apply mechanisms to unfamiliar contexts, evaluate evidence and practise the current paper design.
Core concepts
Concept 1
majority influence
Exam cue: Identify the source of influence, the behavioural outcome and the social, situational or dispositional mechanism proposed.
Concept 2
authority
Exam cue: Apply the explanation to a new scenario, then evaluate with prescribed studies, ethical limitations and alternative factors.
Concept 3
social and dispositional factors
Exam cue: Use the current board's named studies and required distinctions rather than importing another board's terminology.
Targeted study blocks
Common psychology core
Build the transferable conceptual model
Identify the source of influence, the behavioural outcome and the social, situational or dispositional mechanism proposed.
Evidence and application
Connect claims to method, findings and context
Apply the explanation to a new scenario, then evaluate with prescribed studies, ethical limitations and alternative factors.
Current-route boundary
Apply only the live specification detail
Use the current board's named studies and required distinctions rather than importing another board's terminology.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Treating conformity and obedience as the same process.
Guardrail: Do not mix board routes, treat one study as proof, diagnose a person or append evaluation that does not change the answer to the question.
Describing a theory or study without applying, analysing or evaluating it when the command requires more.
Guardrail: Do not mix board routes, treat one study as proof, diagnose a person or append evaluation that does not change the answer to the question.
Importing a named theory, core study, diagnosis rule or paper convention from another specification.
Guardrail: Do not mix board routes, treat one study as proof, diagnose a person or append evaluation that does not change the answer to the question.
Memory anchors
Conformity
A change in behaviour or expressed belief in response to real or imagined group influence.
Obedience
Behaviour carried out in response to an order from an authority figure.
Dispositional factor
A characteristic of the individual proposed to affect behaviour.
Conformity and Obedience: evidence check
Apply the explanation to a new scenario, then evaluate with prescribed studies, ethical limitations and alternative factors.
Conformity and Obedience: route check
Use the current board's named studies and required distinctions rather than importing another board's terminology.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
What is conformity?
What is obedience?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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