Tjfel (1971)

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To see how one’s social identity may affect behaviour + investigate if intergroup discrimination would take place based on being put into different groups

Question 2

Sample

Answer 2

A sample of 48 boys aged 14-15 years old were used (British school boys)

Question 3

Variables

Answer 3

Independent – The group the boys were in
Dependent – Number of points they allocated/who they allocated it to

Question 4

Key factors of the experiment

Answer 4

• Asked to rate 12 paintings by abstract expressionist painters
• Not aware who painted it + randomly allocated to conditions (2 groups) & told which one they preferred
• Allocated points to each other

Question 5

Results

Answer 5

• Boys generally awarded more points to the members of their in group showing in group favoritism
• Second system of point awarding, the boys were willing to give their own team fewer points to maximize the difference between their in-group and the out-group
• Natural tendency to favour in group

Question 6

implication of results

Answer 6

• identify with their respective groups and create a positive social identity
• demonstrates that intergroup conflict is not required for discrimination to occur
• follow up study - even when members of the groups were aware that the groupings were completely random and not based on any criteria, the participants still showed in-group favoritism.

Question 7

Evaluation

Answer 7

• high level of control (confounding variables limited)
• highly artificial
• lacks ecological validity (may not reflect behaviour in a naturalistic setting)
• Demand characteristics
• May interpret task as a competition
• Can be replicated
• Sampling bias