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conformity & obedience in depth

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: conformity & obedience in depth

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about conformity & obedience in depth. Then check against the key terms: Psychology Exam Tips. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Psychology Exam Tips.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: conformity & obedience in depth. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Psychology because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: Explain the difference between normative and informational social influence.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about conformity & obedience in depth.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: conformity & obedience in depth

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on conformity & obedience in depth. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: Normative social influence (NSI): conforming to be accepted and avoid rejection - leads to compliance. Driven by the desire for social approval.
Key Fact: Informational social influence (ISI): conforming because we believe the group is correct - leads to internalisation. Most likely in ambiguous or novel situations.
Key Fact: Agentic State theory (Milgram): people obey because they enter an 'agentic state' - they see themselves as instruments carrying out another's wishes, not responsible for their actions. Binding factors (politeness, fear of disruption) keep people in the agentic state.
Key Fact: Legitimacy of authority: we obey people we perceive as having legitimate power (uniform, institutional context). When authority is perceived as illegitimate, obedience decreases (Milgram's run-down office: 48% vs 65% at Yale).
Key Fact: Minority influence creates social change through: consistency, commitment, and flexibility. Process: minority -> consistency -> cognitive conflict -> augmentation -> snowball effect -> social crypto-amnesia.
Psychology Exam Tips: When evaluating theories of social influence, always link to real-world examples: the Holocaust (obedience), civil rights movements (minority influence), and modern social media campaigns (normative influence).

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: Explain the difference between normative and informational social influence.

Answer: NSI: driven by desire to be liked/accepted, leads to compliance, occurs when the correct answer is obvious. ISI: driven by desire to be correct, leads to internalisation, occurs in ambiguous situations.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: conformity & obedience in depth

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: Psychology Exam Tips. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Q1: Explain the difference between normative and informational social influence.

Answer: NSI: driven by desire to be liked/accepted, leads to compliance, occurs when the correct answer is obvious. ISI: driven by desire to be correct, leads to internalisation, occurs in ambiguous situations.

Q2: Describe Milgram's agentic state theory and evaluate its usefulness for understanding obedience.

Answer: The agentic state explains how ordinary people commit harmful acts - they feel they are 'just following orders'. Supported by Milgram's variations. Limitations: doesn't explain why some people resist; may excuse harmful behaviour.

Q3: Explain how minority influence can lead to social change.

Answer: Social change through minority influence: (1) Minority is consistent - creates cognitive conflict. (2) Minority shows commitment - augmentation principle. (3) Minority is flexible - avoids seeming dogmatic. (4) Snowball effect builds. (5) Social crypto-amnesia. Example: the suffragette movement.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: conformity & obedience in depth

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Extended Answer

Extended question: Full-Mark Response Evaluate whether minority influence or majority influence is more powerful in creating social change. <div class="

A grade 9 response will: explain majority influence (normative and informational) - powerful through social approval; explain minority influence (consistency, commitment, flexibility) - creates change through cognitive conflict; compare: majority influence is immediate but may only produce compliance; minority influence is slower but creates deeper internalisation; conclude: minority influence is more effective for lasting social change because it produces genuine belief change.

Exam Tips: NSI = want to be LIKED. ISI = want to be RIGHT. | Agentic state = 'I'm just following orders.' Autonomous state = 'I'm making my own choices.' | Minority influence needs: Consistency + Commitment + Flexibility = CCF.
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often make mistakes here. Wrong: People who obey authority are simply cruel or weak-willed. Correct: Milgram's research showed that ordinary, well-adjusted people obeyed harmful instructions - 65% delivered maximum shocks. This demonstrates that obedience is a situational phenomenon, not a personality trait. The agentic state explains that people obey because they enter a different psychological state, not because they are cruel.
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how conformity & obedience in depth connects to another Psychology topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of conformity & obedience in depth
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in conformity & obedience in depth?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)