Sherif Et Al (prejudice) Flashcards
(26 cards)
what was the aim?
to investigate intergroup relations over a period of time when various experimentally induced situations were introduced.
what was the sample?
22 11-12 year old boys from Oklahoma
what as the initial sample?
what sampling method was used?
what did the researchers make sure of?
200 boys
opportunity sample
researchers made sure boys weren’t acquainted with each other before the study.
what was the fee and why was it given?
$25 to incentivise them to not visit the boys throughout the two-week stay at the camp.
this was too prevent homesickness and to make sure the parents don’t have a play on affect with the boys opinions.
how were they divided into groups?
into equally matched groups using information’s obtained from parents and teachers about their abilities (education/ athletics)
where did this field study take place?
robbers cave state park, oklahoma
what were the 3 phases in the study?
phase one: in-group formation, created by facilitating tasks that required in group cooperation.
phase two: a friction phase, which included first contact between groups, sports, competitions etc.
phase three: an integration phase to reduce friction.
what were the names of the two groups formed by the boys
rattlers and the eagles, they set up flags and stencilled them onto shirts and flags.
what types of data collection methods were used in the study?
observation: by a participants observer, one with each group for 12 hours a day.
sociometric analysis: issues of friendship patterns were noted and studied.
experiment: the boys had to collect beans and estimate how many each had collected.
tape recording: adjectives and phrases used to refer to their own group members and to out-group members where examined.
why was the first phase needed and what happened during it?
the boys were kept separate from each other for one week and were encouraged to bond as two individual groups through pursuit of common goals
the boys in each group formed their own set of camp norms and rules that formed their groups identity. they took part in various cooperative activities and by the end of the stage had defined names for their groups.
at the end of the stage the groups were made aware of the others existence and the formations of ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude became apparent.
why was the second phase needed and what happened during it?
it was intended to bring the two groups into competition with each other in conditions that would create frustration between them.
a series of competitions were arranged with a trophy being awarded to winning groups. individual prizes were also given to winning groups such as a medal and a multi bladed pocket knife with no prize given tot eh losers.
how did the boys act in phase 2?
boys were beginning to show signs of hostility to the other group and persisted in demanding for competitive activities.
leaders to take on challenges of a tournament was announced.
the boys began to fight, name call and the eagles burned the rattlers flag.
there was a strong sense of in group favouritism and negative out-group bias, resulting in derogatory terms being used to the other group and a number of camp raids.
what happened in the subsequent two day cooling off period?
the boys listed features of the two groups.
boys tended to characterise their own in-group in vert favourable terms and the other our-group in vert unfavourable terms.
both groups objected to even eating in the same hall at the same time.
what is a superordinate goal?
a desire, challenge, predicatment or peril that both parties in a conflict need to get resolved and that neither party can resolve alone.
what challenges did Sherif set up in phase three as superordinate goals?
what did this cause between the boys?
included a ‘water shortage’ and a ‘broken down’ camp truck that needed enough ‘man’ power to be pulled back to camp.
they also had to bring their resources together to afford a film they all wanted to watch.
this causes hostile behaviour to subside. they bonded to the point that by the end of the experiment the boys unanimously insisted they all ride back home on the same bus.
what change in out group friendship choices occurred by the end of the study?
rattlers: 6.4% to 36.4%
eagles: 7.5% to 23.2%
conclusion
what did the findings show?
study clearly shows a conflict of interests/competition between groups can cause prejudiced attitude and discriminatory behaviour.
experiment confirmed Sherifs realistic conflict theory.
findings show that increased contact is not enough to reduce conflict, but that working together towards a superordinate goal can.
also demonstrates that people tend to overestimate the abilities of their group and minimise the abilities of the out group.
give an example of how the study demonstrated in group favourtism
in the bean collection task boys overestimated the performance of in group members and underestimated the performance the performance of out group members showing bias in favour of their own group.
how did the researchers manipulate competition to increase conflict?
zero-sum competitions.
brought the two groups together to make them participate in as series of competitive activities. trophies and individual prizes were awarded to the winning group.
why did simply increasing contact between groups did not reduce conflict?
because mere contact reinforced negative stereotypes and hostility. integration only occurred when cooperation was needed to achieve shared superordinate goals.
why did Sherif manipulate some of the competition outcomes?
this was able to motivate the groups into winning the prizes and therefore act more competitive with each other like making scores close and favouriting eagles.
generalisability
P: low in terms of the participants used.
E: 22 boys all from white middle class backgrounds, shared a protestant, two-parent background.
E: this similarity of the sample limits the ability to generate findings to other populations such as girls, different ethnicities or other backgrounds.
reliability
P: high in reliability
E: there was careful planning and controls.
the need to enable the groups to develop as naturally as possible and to not give them advise when decisions were being made. the camp staff were told ‘do not use verbal means to influences subjects, do not take initiate to introduce activities on your own accord and do not try to counsel campers individually.’
E: this controlled structure means the study could be replicated with different participants to test if similar group dynamics and conflicts emerge, allowing us to check the consistency of results.
application
P: it helps us understand some of the most horrific events and sheds light on events like genocide or racism.
E:it demonstrates how group competition over scarce materials or status can escalate into prejudice and violence, helping to understand and prevent real-world conflicts like racial tensions or war.
