FINAL 6 Flashcards
Collective violence
acts of violence that are committed by members of one group against another group of individuals.
Social Identity Theory
From a young age, we naturally divide others into those inside vs. outside our group
BIRGing (Basking in Reflected Glory):
Taking pride in our group’s successes.
Example: Feeling proud when Canadian athletes win at the Olympics.
Can have same effect other way around
Happy when opponent lose
Outgroup Homogeneity Effect:
tendency for people to overestimate the extent to which people in outgroups are alike
Example: Viewing all North Koreans as alike.
Minimal Group Paradigm Tajfel et al., 1971
People show favoritism toward their own groups, even when groups are random (e.g., dot overestimators vs. underestimators).
Realistic Group Conflict Theory
prejudice and discrimination between groups arise from competition over scarce resources.
Simple words: whenever there are two or more groups that are seeking the same limited resources, this will lead to conflict, negative stereotypes and beliefs, and discrimination between the groups.
Robber’s Cave Study (Sherif et al., 1961)
Boys divided into two groups at summer camp (Eagles & Rattlers)
Phase 1: Ingroup Formation
Phase 2: Intergroup Conflict
Phase 3: Reduction of Intergroup Conflict
- Successful Approach: Hostility diminished when the groups were introduced to superordinate goals—tasks requiring cooperation to achieve
superordinate goals
tasks requiring cooperation to achieve
Dehumanization
the process of seeing others as less than human, leading to an absence of empathy.
Deindividuation
a psychological phenomenon where individuals lose their sense of personal identity and self-awareness when they become part of a group.
Mob Mentality: Deindividuation is often linked to “mob mentality,” where individuals in a crowd engage in behaviors like vandalism, looting, or violence.
Zimbardo (1969)
Findings:
Participants in the deindividuated (hidden identity) condition delivered shocks twice as strong as those in the individuated condition.
Zimbardo compared these results to aggressive behavior in groups like the Ku Klux Klan, who used anonymity (through robes and masks) to commit acts of violence.
Johnson & Downing (1979)
Findings:
Participants wearing KKK uniforms and who were anonymous (deindividuated) delivered the highest intensity shocks.
Participants wearing nurse’s uniforms and who were anonymous delivered the lowest intensity shocks.
Suicide Baiting (Mann, 1981)
Objective: To examine factors influencing the likelihood of “suicide baiting,” where crowds encourage a distressed individual to jump from heights.
Findings:
Crowd Size: More likely when the crowd is large (over 300 people).
Time of Day: More likely at night (after 6:00 PM) when it’s darker.
Physical Distance: More likely when the individual is at a greater physical distance from the crowd (e.g., higher up).
Conclusion: The anonymity provided by a large crowd and darkness contributes to a higher incidence of suicide baiting, as individuals are more likely to encourage the distressed person rather than intervene.
Bartlett et al (2013)
Perceived anonymity found to be key predictor of negative online behaviours
Reasons
1. less personal accountability
- distracts people from their moral standards
- obedient to group norms
Apfelbaum et al. (2010)
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the “colour-blind” approach versus a “diversity” approach in reducing perceived discrimination among children.
Method:
Children from 4th and 5th grades were assigned to either a “colour-blind” mindset or a “diversity” mindset.
Colour-Blind Mindset: Emphasized that race is not important and we are all the same.
Diversity Mindset: Emphasized appreciating racial differences and how these differences are important.
Findings:
Children in the colour-blind mindset were less likely to recognize an incident involving a Black child being intentionally tripped as discriminatory (50% recognition).
Children in the diversity mindset were more likely to recognize the same incident as discriminatory (80% recognition).
Teachers who heard from children in the colour-blind condition perceived discriminatory incidents as less serious compared to those who heard from children in the diversity condition.
Conclusion: The colour-blind approach, which focuses on ignoring race, fails to address and recognize racial discrimination. In contrast, a diversity-focused approach helps individuals better identify and acknowledge discrimination and biases.
