This document contains 16-mark essay plans for every extended-response question AQA could set on Social Influence. Each plan opens with a structured AO1 outline before developing AO3 evaluation, with named studies, dates and findings integrated throughout to evidence every point.
Colour-coded annotations follow a consistent system throughout:
Black — AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding)
Red — AO3 (Evaluation: Counterargument)
Orange — AO3 (Evaluation: Interactionist perspective)
Green — AO3 (Evaluation: Supporting argument)
What Essay Plans are included:
Social Influence:
Discuss explanations of conformity
Discuss factors that can affect conformity. Refer to variations of Asch’s experiment in your answer.
Discuss research into obedience as investigated by Milgram (situational variables)
Discuss agentic state and legitimacy of authority as a (social psychological) explanation of obedience
Outline and evaluate the authoritarian personality as a dispositional explanation for obedience.
Outline and evaluate two explanations of resistance to social influence.
Outline and evaluate research into minority influence.
This document contains 16-mark essay plans for every extended-response question AQA could set on Social Influence. Each plan opens with a structured AO1 outline before developing AO3 evaluation, with named studies, dates and findings integrated throughout to evidence every point.
Colour-coded annotations follow a consistent system throughout:
Black — AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding)
Red — AO3 (Evaluation: Counterargument)
Orange — AO3 (Evaluation: Interactionist perspective)
Green — AO3 (Evaluation: Supporting argument)
What Essay Plans are included:
Social Influence:
Discuss explanations of conformity
Discuss factors that can affect conformity. Refer to variations of Asch’s experiment in your answer.
Discuss research into obedience as investigated by Milgram (situational variables)
Discuss agentic state and legitimacy of authority as a (social psychological) explanation of obedience
Outline and evaluate the authoritarian personality as a dispositional explanation for obedience.
Outline and evaluate two explanations of resistance to social influence.
Outline and evaluate research into minority influence.