Amal is in a car park spray painting her name on a wall. A police officer on duty walks over to Amal and stands right next to her. When the police officer tells her to stop, Amal obeys.

Explain how two situational variables could have influenced Amal to obey the police officer. [4 marks]

Answer: One situational variable is uniform. Because the police officer is on duty, Amal is likely to see the uniform as a sign of legitimate authority and believe he has the right to tell her to stop.

A second situational variable is proximity. The officer is standing right next to Amal, so the authority figure is in her immediate presence. This increases obedience because Amal is more likely to fear the immediate consequences of not obeying, such as being stopped or challenged straight away.

Examiner Comment: Students must focus on situational variables. In this question, the relevant variables are proximity and uniform. Students should do more than simply name each variable; they must explain how each one increases obedience, for example because close proximity may increase fear of the immediate consequences of disobeying, and a uniform may signal legitimate authority and the power to tell someone to stop.