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Updated for AQA 2025 Spec – Teaching from SEPTEMBER 2025 onwards

This resource is designed for teaching Social-Psychological Factors in Obedience under the AQA A-Level Psychology (2025 Specification). It has been fully updated to meet the revised requirements, which expect students to describe the agentic state and legitimacy of authority, explain their role in obedience, and critically evaluate their usefulness with reference to supporting research, real-world examples, and ethical implications.

If you’re looking for the 2019 specification version of this topic, please visit my shop.

This fully editable lesson introduces the agentic state, agentic shift, autonomous state, moral strain, binding factors, and legitimacy of authority — including how these processes help explain high levels of obedience in classic and real-life contexts. Students build their AO1, AO2, and AO3 skills through structured retrieval, guided application tasks, and engaging evaluation activities.

What’s Included:

• Fully Editable Lesson Slides – Covers all required theory and terminology (agentic/autonomous states, moral strain, binding factors, legitimacy of authority, destructive authority). Includes real-world links to Milgram’s study and the My Lai Massacre, plus built-in questions, retrieval, and exam practice.

• Think, Pair, Share Tasks – Students apply core concepts to Milgram’s research through scaffolded discussion questions and moral dilemmas to deepen AO2 understanding.

• Evaluate It Task – Students categorise evaluation points as strengths, limitations, or both. Includes a challenge question on determinism vs free will.

• My Lai Application Worksheet – Printable task where students apply social-psychological obedience theories to a real-life atrocity. Supports deeper AO2 development with model answer included.

• AO3 Evaluation Worksheet – Extended writing task asking students to explain strengths and limitations using evidence and research (e.g. Hofling et al., Blass & Schmitt, cross-cultural studies).

• 4-Mark AO2 Exam Question Task – Application-based exam-style question with suggested bullet-point answer for peer or whole-class feedback.

• Plenary Slide – Reflective discussion on how understanding these obedience processes can help prevent destructive authority in the real world.

How This Resource Reflects the 2025 Specification Changes:

• Fully aligned with AQA 2025 content under Social Influence: Explanations of Obedience

• Covers agentic state and legitimacy of authority in depth, with accurate and student-friendly definitions

• Evaluates key concepts using contemporary and historical research (e.g. Hofling, Blass & Schmitt, Mantell, Mandel)

• Connects theory to real-world examples and moral responsibility

• Supports exam preparation with structured AO1/AO2/AO3 development, model answers, and evaluation scaffolds