Group Influence

Overview

Lesson 7 of 10 in “Unlocking Psychological Theories” focuses on social psychology and how society and group pressures shape behaviour. Students will investigate conformity through a short, ethical classroom experiment, linking observed behaviour to psychological theory and research.

Learning intentions

• WALT investigate the impact of social factors on behaviour by exploring conformity and group dynamics.
• WALT conduct a fair test to gather evidence from an experiment.
• WALT explain how social forces can influence individual decision-making.

Success criteria

• I can explain what conformity is and identify at least two factors that increase it (e.g., group unanimity, group size).
• I can conduct the experiment safely and follow instructions for ethical participation.
• I can record results clearly and summarise what the class observed.
• I can link the evidence to a psychological explanation (using appropriate terms and reasoning).

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences achievement standard focus (analysis): Students analyse how patterns of behaviour can be shaped by social forces over time and context through observation and explanation.
• Research and investigation capability: Students plan, conduct, and communicate findings from an inquiry into behaviour.
• Key competencies: Using language, symbols, and texts to record findings; participating and contributing through group roles; thinking critically when interpreting evidence; managing self during timed tasks.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Retrieval warm-up. Teacher writes two prompts on the board: “What is a social norm?” “When might people conform?” Students do a quick think–write, then share with a partner.

2. 5–15 min · Mini-teach: conformity and group dynamics. Teacher models a short explanation of conformity (informational vs normative influence) and highlights conditions that affect it (unanimity, pressure, identity). Students take brief notes and add one question they want answered by the experiment.

3. 15–25 min · Experiment set-up (ethical briefing + roles). Teacher explains procedures for a “line-judgement / answer-change” style conformity task, including consent, right to stop, and respectful participation. Students are assigned roles: facilitator, recorder, materials manager, timekeeper, and spokesperson, then rehearse steps silently once.

4. 25–40 min · Conduct the classroom experiment. Teacher runs trials: individual responses are recorded, then participants complete additional rounds where group responses are shown, comparing “independent” vs “after-group” choices. Students follow their roles, record answers precisely, and keep personal reactions private unless asked.

5. 40–48 min · Data check and class summary. Teacher leads a guided check: What counts as a “change”? Students compile class totals and calculate a simple comparison (e.g., number who changed answers after group input).

6. 48–56 min · Evidence-to-explanation writing. Teacher prompts: “What social factors seemed strongest?” and “How does your evidence support or challenge conformity theory?” Students write a short paragraph using: claim → evidence from class results → explanation.

7. 56–60 min · Exit ticket + reflection. Teacher collects an exit ticket: one result, one possible force (e.g., unanimity), and one limitation of the task. Students complete it independently.

Resources

• Printed student data table (pre-made for quick recording)
• Trial cards or worksheets for the judgement task
• Timer (phone or classroom device)
• Role cards for each group (facilitator, recorder, materials manager, timekeeper, spokesperson)
• Consent and opt-out reminder card (plain language)
• Whiteboard/markers or digital slide for recording class totals
• Optional: pen/pencil and highlighters for annotating key terms

Assessment

• Formative check during experiment set-up: teacher observes role understanding and safe participation.
• Formative check during data summary: teacher reviews accuracy of recorded totals with groups.
• Exit ticket: verifies students can connect results to social forces and identify a limitation (e.g., small sample, demand characteristics, short task duration).

Differentiation

• Role assignment to encourage participation: students rotate if time allows, or ensure quieter students hold key roles (recorder or analyst) where possible.
• Sentence starters for the evidence-to-explanation paragraph: “The class showed… which suggests… This may be due to… A limitation is…”
• Support for EAL/new-to-topic learners: provide a small word bank (conformity, group unanimity, social norm, pressure, informational influence, normative influence).
• Extension for students ready for more: ask them to propose an additional variable to test (e.g., removing unanimity, changing group size, or adding anonymity) and predict the effect.
• Accessibility: provide a larger-font data table and allow non-verbal recording options (e.g., checkmarks) if needed.