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During the college summer holiday, Rhianna went to a large music festival where she saw musicians and bands who played various genres of music - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 5 - 2021 - Paper 3
Question 5
During the college summer holiday, Rhianna went to a large music festival where she saw musicians and bands who played various genres of music. These included rock, ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:During the college summer holiday, Rhianna went to a large music festival where she saw musicians and bands who played various genres of music - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 5 - 2021 - Paper 3
Step 1
AO1: Define Key Concepts
Answer
Conformity refers to when an individual adjusts their behaviour in order to align with the majority within a group. Social impact theory posits that the number of individuals influencing a target can greatly affect the likelihood of a behavior being adopted. Agency theory explains that individuals obey people they perceive as authoritative.
Social identification involves individuals engaging in behaviours consistent with their in-group.
Step 2
AO2: Application to Rhianna's Context
Answer
At the festival, Rhianna displayed conformity by engaging with the behavior of her friends and the audience, specifically when they clapped hands and sang along, activities she might not have participated in alone. This reflects the social influence stemming from the group dynamics at play, where peer behavior encouraged her to engage. Furthermore, as Rhianna and her friends increased in number, their collective enthusiasm would have further motivated her participation, showcasing the power of social influence.
Rhianna also experiences social identification, as she likely associates with the in-group of festival-goers, which encourages her to align her actions with theirs, even if she personally prefers rock and pop genres.
Step 3
AO3: Supporting Studies
Answer
Asch (1951) demonstrated that individuals are likely to conform, with a third of participants altering their responses based on group pressure. This supports the claim that Rhianna changed her behaviour at the festival due to group influence.
Milgram’s study showed that people are inclined to obey authority figures, implying that when artists at the festival encouraged clapping, attendees like Rhianna were likely to follow suit. Furthermore, Bandura's research on observational learning indicates that Rhianna's engagement in dancing can be seen as modeling behaviour, as she might want to emulate the actions of others in her social circle.