What does Edexcel Psychology Topic 5 Social influence cover?

Topic 5 asks how others affect you. It covers social influence concepts (conformity and obedience and the factors affecting them, including the agentic state), the factors affecting bystander intervention (the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility), collective behaviour (deindividuation) and prosocial and antisocial behaviour, and the core studies by Piliavin et al. (1969) and Haney, Banks and Zimbardo (1973). It is examined in Paper 1.

What are the core studies for Topic 5?

The named core studies are Piliavin et al. (1969), a subway field experiment on helping behaviour that found an apparently ill victim was helped more than a drunk one (supporting a cost-reward model), and Haney, Banks and Zimbardo (1973), the Stanford prison study, where students assigned to be guards or prisoners conformed strongly to their roles and the study was stopped early. You must know each to four parts plus evaluation.

What is the bystander effect?

The bystander effect is the finding that people are less likely to help someone in need when others are present, and help is slower as the number of bystanders rises. A key reason is diffusion of responsibility, where responsibility is spread across the group so each person feels less personally responsible. Helping is also affected by the cost of helping, how clear the emergency is, and similarity to the victim.

What is deindividuation?

Deindividuation is a state, often in a large crowd, in which a person loses their sense of individual identity and personal responsibility. Anonymity and group arousal make people feel less identifiable and accountable, so they are more likely to act on impulse and follow the crowd, which can be antisocial. Social influence can lead to both prosocial and antisocial behaviour depending on the models and norms present.

How should I revise Topic 5 Social influence?

Learn the concepts of conformity and obedience with their factors and the agentic state, then the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility, and deindividuation with prosocial and antisocial behaviour. Secure the Piliavin and Zimbardo core studies to four parts plus evaluation, including their ethics. Practise applying the cost-reward model and the factors to scenarios, and drill describe, explain and evaluate questions.

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Edexcel GCSE Psychology Topic 5 Social influence: a complete overview of conformity, obedience, bystanders and the studies

A deep-dive Edexcel GCSE Psychology guide to Topic 5, Social influence. Covers conformity and obedience, factors affecting bystander intervention, collective and prosocial behaviour, and the Piliavin and Zimbardo core studies.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.815 min read1PS0 Topic 5Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What Topic 5 actually demands
Conformity and obedience
Bystander intervention
Collective behaviour and the core studies
How Topic 5 is examined
Check your knowledge

What Topic 5 actually demands

Social influence asks the guiding question "how do others affect you?". It runs from the concepts of conformity and obedience, through how crowds affect helping and behaviour, to two core studies that show the power of the situation. Edexcel tests precise knowledge of the concepts and the ability to apply and evaluate them.

This guide walks through the topic in specification order, then sets out the exam patterns. Each part has a matching dot-point page with practice questions; this overview ties them together.

Conformity and obedience

Conformity is changing behaviour to match a group; it rises with group size (up to about three), falls with anonymity and rises with task difficulty. Obedience is following a direct order from authority; it increases with legitimate authority (uniform, status), proximity of the authority, and being distant from the victim. The agentic state (from Milgram) explains obedience: a person acts as an agent of authority and feels the authority is responsible.

Bystander intervention

The bystander effect is being less likely to help when others are present, with help slower as numbers rise. The main reason is diffusion of responsibility. Situational factors (the cost of helping, the clarity of the emergency, helpful models) and personal factors (mood, similarity to the victim, competence) also matter. This connects directly to the Piliavin core study.

Collective behaviour and the core studies

Deindividuation is losing individual identity and responsibility in a crowd, helped by anonymity, making antisocial behaviour more likely, though social influence can produce prosocial behaviour too. The two core studies anchor the topic: Piliavin et al. (1969) showed a cost-reward model of helping on the subway, and Zimbardo (1973) showed people conform to social roles in a mock prison. Both raise ethical issues.

How Topic 5 is examined

A typical Edexcel profile for Topic 5:

Multiple choice and short answer. Defining obedience, or identifying diffusion of responsibility.
Describe questions. The agentic state, or the method of the subway study.
Explain questions. Factors affecting obedience, or why a crowd may turn antisocial.
Extended response. Evaluating the Stanford prison study as evidence for social roles, with a balanced judgement and credit for written communication.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall and applied questions covering Topic 5. Attempt them under timed conditions, then check against the solutions.

Explain two factors that affect whether a person obeys authority. (4 marks)
Describe what is meant by the agentic state. (3 marks)
Describe what is meant by the bystander effect. (3 marks)
Explain how diffusion of responsibility affects helping. (3 marks)
Describe the method and one finding of Piliavin et al.'s subway study. (4 marks)
Explain what is meant by deindividuation. (3 marks)
Explain one ethical weakness of the Stanford prison study. (2 marks)

Solutions

Q1: Legitimate authority: people obey more when the figure seems legitimate (uniform, status). Proximity: people obey more when the authority is close and giving orders in person, and when they are distant from the victim.
Q2: The agentic state is when a person sees themselves as an agent carrying out an authority's wishes and feels the authority is responsible, so they obey more, even against their conscience. The opposite is the autonomous state.
Q3: The bystander effect is being less likely to help someone in need when others are present, with helping becoming less likely and slower as the number of bystanders rises.
Q4: With several people present, responsibility to act is spread across the group, so each individual feels less personally responsible and assumes someone else will help.
Q5: A field experiment on a New York subway: a confederate collapsed, appearing ill (cane) or drunk (bottle). The ill victim was helped more and faster, supporting a cost-reward model.
Q6: Deindividuation is losing individual identity and personal responsibility in a crowd; anonymity and arousal make people less accountable, so they act on impulse and follow the crowd, often antisocially.
Q7: Participants suffered psychological harm and were not adequately protected, and Zimbardo's dual role as researcher and prison superintendent reduced objectivity.

Sources & how we know this

Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Psychology (1PS0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2017)