Intergroup Relations Flashcards
What famous study was done on intergroup conflict? Whose study was it? What was the end result?
Robbers Cave study - Sherif et al.
Two cabins full of boys were made to compete with each other at a summer camp.
The competition seemed to fuel norms of toughness and hostility, and at least one good-sized brawl had to be prevented by staff.
Competition did not stay competition: It flared into outright intergroup hatred.
The Sherifs, by starting with two newly formed groups with no history of rivalry, succeeded in documenting the social and psychological factors that pushed these two groups into an escalating conflict.
What is realistic group conflict theory? Whose theory is it?
(Sherif) claims that intergroup conflict occurs when there is competition for scarce resources
What is the discontinuity effect? How is it often modeled?
The tendency for groups to display a level of competitiveness that is greater than the competitiveness displayed by individuals
intergroup competition has a different dynamic from intragroup competition.
–Intergroup competition seems to result in fiercer conflict
Realistic group conflict is often modeled with the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game, the most famous game in game theory.
What is the prisoner’s dilemma game? What does it study?
For studying cooperation in social dilemmas, the most widely studied game is the prisoner’s dilemma. This is based on a little story.
Imagine you and I have robbed a bank. We both get caught after we hide the loot, so the cops can’t prove we did it; nevertheless, they know that we have violated some gun-control laws.
To try to get us to confess, they take us to separate rooms to interrogate us.
We each have two choices: to cooperate (with each other, i.e. we tell the cops nothing) or to defect (i.e. confess to the cops). This leads to four possibilities.
The point is that many social situations follow roughly this dynamic.
What are the 4 possibilities in the prisoner’s dilemma game? Which option do groups tend to choose?
(C) = cooperation
(D) = defection
- Both groups choose C = win 50/50
- One group chooses C, other D = 20/60
- One group chooses D, other C = 60/20
- Both groups choose D = 30/30
The prisoner’s dilemma game payoff matrix used to study competition and intergroup conflict. Groups tend to select option D much more frequently than option C.
What does social dominance theory assert?
unequal control of resources is very common, tends to be justified ideologically, and often leads to exploitative practices
What do individuals with high levels of social dominance orientation (SDO) strive for?
to maximize their group’s gains, particularly in relationship to other groups’ outcomes
the desire to see society organized hierarchically
In conditions of intergroup conflict, anger is often experienced when what happens? How is this often expressed?
when the ingroup’s goals are frustrated, leading to potential anger and retaliation
This anger is not always directed at those who have caused the frustration. When it is directed at others, it is called scapegoating.
What is the norm of reciprocity? What does it grow out of?
Groups, like individuals, tend to obey the norm of reciprocity. They answer threats with threats, insults with insults, and aggression with aggression
the prisoner’s dilemma
Cultures differ in their ________ surrounding conflict.
norms
What are face cultures? What are their norms around conflict?
societies that emphasize hierarchy, humility, and harmony. Face cultures, like honor cultures, value respect and deference, but individuals in face cultures cooperate with one another to maintain one another’s respectability.
A person who is insulted by another person in a face culture need not react aggressively, for the social group will deal with the offender. Taking matters into one’s own hands is a selfish act, for it disrupts harmony and circumvents the system of social hierarchy.
What are dignity cultures? What are their norms around dealing with conflict?
societies that stress the importance of personal integrity and individual worth. In such cultures, members learn that each individual has inherent value, and the quality of their character is not defined by other people. This cultural syndrome is more likely to be manifested in more economically prosperous, individualistic countries (like ours)
opinions of others are considered relatively unimportant for personal worth
What are honour cultures? What are their norms around dealing with conflict?
usually arise in rural areas with little or no policing, one protects one’s stuff by maintaining a reputation for violent responses to insults. These tend to be the most interpersonally violent societies even though members do not in general endorse violence
people strive to avoid offending others, but will respond aggressively if they feel they or their group has been insulted in some way
What is ingroup positivity and outgroup negativity? What is it an example of?
the selective favoring of the ingroup, its members, and its products, and
the derogation of the outgroup, its members, and its products
example of intergroup bias
What is double standard thinking? What is it an example of?
Judging the actions and attributes of one’s own group positively, but viewing these very same behaviors or displays negatively when the outgroup performs them.
example of intergroup bias