A teacher was absent and left work for students to complete during the lesson. Some students in the class did not do the work their teacher had left for them.

Use one possible explanation of resistance to social influence to explain why this happened. [4 marks]

Answer: One possible explanation for why some students did not complete the work is social support. When a few students refused to do the work, they acted as role models for resistance, showing others that it was possible to disobey without immediate consequences. This reduced the pressure to conform and gave the remaining students confidence to also resist the teacher's instructions. The presence of others behaving in the same way makes resistance easier, as the sense of responsibility is shared among the group and the fear of punishment is reduced.

Examiner Comment: Students should clearly explain how social support enables individuals to resist pressure in the given scenario, rather than offering a generic explanation.