Sherif et al

• Aim (Sherif)

  -To study normal groups and observe the natural and spontaneous development of group organisation, attitudes and group norms.

  -This study also tested "Realistic conflict theory"
• IV (Sherif)


  -Either working together towards common goals, or working against each other in competition for scarce resources.
• DV (Sherif)


  -Observation of natural and spontaneous development
• Participants (Sherif)

  -22 boys aged 11-12

  -Healthy, socially well adjusted, above average intelligence and from stable, white, protestant, middle-class homes.

  -None of them knew each other

  -Random allocation into groups
• Research design (Sherif)

  -Field experiment
• Procedure (Sherif)

  1. Researchers set up a summer holiday camp at Robbers Cave in Oklahoma. The boys didn't know they were in an experiment (guarantees ecological validity).

  
  

  2. The groups were kept seperate from each other and played activities with the goal of helping group bonding and the creation of identity. They chose group names: the Eagles and the Rattlers.

  
  

  3. Researchers then introduced conflict through games. Situations were also created so that one group benefitted at the expense of the other. Eg. one group was delayed getting to a picnic and when they arrived the other group had eaten their food.
• Results (Sherif)

  -The games started well, but then the boys called each other names like "stinkers" and "cheaters". In this stage, solidarity increased within each group, also showing hostility to the other group (they stole the other groups flag and set fire to it).

  -During a two-day cooling off period, the boys listed features of the two groups- they tended to attribute positive characteristics to their in-group, and negative characteristics to their out-group.

  -Then, researchers tried to stop the conflict. Initial attempts failed, so then they got them to work together towards a common goal.

  -Some situations they were put into include pulling a broken down truck. This eased tension between the groups, which resulted in less negative ratings of the other group and no longer any intergroup hostility.

  -
• Advantages (Sherif)

  -Not artificial, high ecological validity.

  -Rese
• Outcomes (Sherif)

  -Ethical considerations related to research in the socio-cultural approach

  -Social identity theory
• Realistic conflict theory


  -Based on the assumption that groups interacting with each other generate attitudes towards each other. This theory predicts that:

  -Positively independent groups (work towards common goals) will have good intergroup relations.

  -Negatively independent groups (in competition for scarce resources) will create conflict and ethnocentric attitudes.
• Conclusion


  -Confirms that conflict and negative attitudes between groups can arise from group identity and fighting for resources.

  -Also confirms how having super-ordinate goals can ease tension and help to make groups come together.

  -Can explain how racial prejudice and discrimination may arise between ethic groups as a result of competition for resources.
• Limitations (Sherif)


  -Researchers couldn't control extraneous variables.

  -Questionable measurement of the dependent variable. Use of self-reports may mean that results could be due to demand characteristics.

  -Use of deception

  -Participants weren't protected from psychological and physical harm. There were symptoms of anxiety (bedwetting, running away and homesickness)

  -Over-simplified theory of the origins of ethnic/national/regional conflict.

  -Difficult to generalise findings- 12 year olds from a single culture.

  -Sampling bias
• What is the primary focus of the Robbers Cave study by Sherif et al.?

  Intergroup conflict
• Sherif's study explores the theory of Realistic Conflict
• The Robbers Cave study uses a field experiment to observe the behavior of two groups of boys in a realistic summer camp environment.
• How many 11-year-old boys participated in the Robbers Cave study?

  22
• The Rattlers and the Eagles were the team names chosen by the boys
• Phases of the Robbers Cave study and their sequence

  1️⃣ Ingroup formation

  2️⃣ Friction phase

  3️⃣ Integration phase
• Sherif asked parents not to visit their sons during the study to avoid extraneous variables.
• The boys in the Robbers Cave study were all from white, Protestant families in Oklahoma
• What was the primary aim of the Robbers Cave study?

  To reduce hostility
• The independent variable in the Robbers Cave study was the stage of the experiment, divided into ingroup formation, friction, and integration phases.
• Match the phase of the study with its description:

  Ingroup formation ↔️ Groups develop names and tasks

  Friction phase ↔️ Groups compete in tournaments

  Integration phase ↔️ Groups cooperate on shared goals
• The Rattlers and the Eagles were split into groups using opportunity sampling
• The senior camp counselors in the Robbers Cave study acted as participant observers for 12 hours a day.
• What type of tournament was organized during the friction phase of the study?

  Sports and games
• In the friction phase, the Eagles burned the Rattlers’ flag
• Steps taken by Sherif to reduce hostility in the integration phase

  1️⃣ Mere contact through shared meals

  2️⃣ Fixing a broken water pipe together

  3️⃣ Cooperating to move a truck

  4️⃣ Pitching tents with missing parts
• The shared task of fixing the broken water pipe led to cooperation between the groups in the integration phase.
• What is the term Sherif uses to describe shared goals that reduce intergroup hostility?

  Superordinate goals
• One important conclusion of the Robbers Cave study is that friction is reduced when groups are forced to cooperate
• Sherif replicated the Robbers Cave study three times, with the first replication occurring in 1949.
• The second replication of the Robbers Cave study in 1953 was called off due to unfavorable conditions
• Michael Billig argued that Sherif’s studies treated the adult researchers as a third group manipulating the other two.
• What is the title of Gina Perry's documentary that discusses the Robbers Cave study?

  'Inside Robbers Cave'
• The Robbers Cave study used a sample of 22
• The small sample size in the Robbers Cave study could lead to anomalies skewing the results.
• What type of background or behavior were boys screened for in the Robbers Cave study?

  Troubled or antisocial
• The Robbers Cave study results can be generalized to girls or mixed-sex groups.

  False
• The boys in the Robbers Cave study were supposed to be “all American” types: white, bright, and sporty