1.1.4 Social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979, 1986) and realistic conflict theory (Sherif, 1966).

Question 1

Who suggested social impact theory?

Answer 1

Tajfel et al. (1979)

Question 2

What does social identity theory state?

Answer 2

SIT states that we have a strong desire to belong, and we derive our self-esteem through group membership and acceptance by others.

Question 3

How does social identity theory oppose realistic conflict theory?

Answer 3

It opposes RCT because it suggests that group membership by itself is sufficient to create prejudice, without any need for competition over resources. Tajfel et al., (1971) suggest that the mere perception of another group’s existence can produce discrimination.

Question 4

How does SIT explain prejudice?

Answer 4

Prejudice can be explained by our tendency to identify ourselves as part of a group. Merely being in a group and being aware of the existence of another group is sufficient for prejudice to occur.

Question 5

What are the three stages of group formation?

Answer 5

Social categorisation, Social identification, Social comparison

Question 6

Describe Social categorisation

Answer 6

People place themselves in groups which creates in- and outgroups, and prejudice. May involve belonging to groups based on your gender, social class, religion, school or friends.

Question 7

Describe Social identification

Answer 7

You pay particular attention to ingroup members and adopt their values, attitudes, appearance and behaviour.

Question 8

Describe Social comparison

Answer 8

Self-esteem is boosted by perceiving the ingroup as superior and the outgroup as inferior.

Question 9

What is In-group favouritism?

Answer 9

When people act in ways that benefit other members of their own in-group and/or disadvantage members of out-groups.

Question 10

What are minimal groups?

Answer 10

Artificial, randomly assigned groups of people where there is no history of competition.

Question 11

Suggest evidence to support social identity theory

Answer 11

• The Klee and Kandinsky study Tajfel et al. (1970)
• Levine et al (2005)
• Lalonde (1992)

Question 12

What did the The Klee and Kandinsky study Tajfel et al. (1970) study show?

Answer 12

• Tajfel told boys which other boys behaved like them (ingroup) or not like them (outgroup) in choosing which painting they liked
• More points were given to the ingroup than outgroup members and the difference in ingroup/outgroup points was maximised even if this reduced the total amount for the ingroup.
• This shows that social categorisation is sufficient enough to trigger ingroup favouritism and discrimination against the outgroup

Question 13

Counter argument for the previous card

Answer 13

The task of privately allocating points lacks mundane realism, discrimination is rarely this covert, we may be less discriminatory in real life to appear as socially desirable.

Question 14

What did the Levine et al (2005) study show?

Answer 14

It was found that Manchester United & Liverpool fans are more likely to help an injured person if wearing their own team’s colours.

Question 15

What did the Lalonde (1992) study show?

Answer 15

Lalonde (1992) studied a hockey team that was performing badly. The team members knew that other teams were doing better than them, but said they were ‘dirtier’ in their tactics. Thus, they claimed moral superiority, which was in-group favouritism. When Lalonde watched the matches, he decided that the other teams were not ‘dirtier’. Therefore he had found in-group bias.

Question 16

What is the ethnocentric weakness of SIT?

Answer 16

Research evidence suggests that it may only explain intergroup behaviour in Western societies.
Margaret Wetherell (1982) conducted a replication of Tajfel's experiment using eight-year-old schoolchildren in New Zealand. She found that Polynesian children were significantly more generous in their allocation of points to outgroup members than their white New Zealand classmates.

Question 17

What does this suggest (prev card)

Answer 17

This suggests that SIT may be ethnocentric because it fails to predict the behaviour of people from more collectivist backgrounds. It may also not apply to people who belong to minority groups.

Question 18

Who proposed Realistic conflict theory?

Answer 18

Sherif (1966)

Question 19

What is realistic conflict theory?

Answer 19

The idea that when there are two groups competing over the same scarce resources, (e.g. jobs, water, land, oil, trophies), there will be conflict, and prejudice will follow, including stereotyping and discrimination. The out-group is seen as threatening the in-group’s resources.

Question 20

List the evidence supporting realistic conflict theory

Answer 20

• Robbers cave experiment 1954

- Jacobs & Landau (1971)

Question 21

State a way to reduce prejudice in real life schools

Answer 21

The jigsaw technique is a method of organizing classroom activity that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks classes into groups that each assemble a piece of an assignment and synthesizes their work when finished. It was designed by social psychologist Elliot Aronson to help weaken racial cliques in forcibly integrated schools.

Question 22

Who designed the Jigsaw method

Answer 22

It was designed by social psychologist Elliot Aronson

Question 23

State a way to reduce prejudice in real life schools

Answer 23

The jigsaw technique is a method of organizing classroom activity that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks classes into groups that each assemble a piece of an assignment and synthesize their work when finished. It was designed by social psychologist Elliot Aronson to help weaken racial cliques in forcibly integrated schools.
Suggest a way to reduce prejudice