Intergroup Relations: Reducing Frictions - Sherif Flashcards
How was the state of friction induced in the robbers cave experiment?
My adding rivalry and frustration a group was associating with the other group
How did they reduce friction between these two groups?
Introducing common big goals that would appeal to the children
(Contact as equals)
Explain the first part of stage 3 (Contact situations)?
Two groups were taken to a location (cafeteria, movie, etc) and allowed to interact
What happened in ‘first contact’?
Eagles and rattlers competed in bean guessing game to win 5 bucks
rattlers won (and used money to fix on of their boats)
Then went and burnt eagles flag and left it in the water
Eagles then denounced the rattlers
(later conflict in a hall when determining / showing bean results)
What happened in the ‘second contact’?
They had to attend a stereotype rating session
Passive aggressive behaviour / segregated seating
And the eagle observer sat where the rattlers were having lunch, one rattler sat by him and was told off by another rattler
What happened in the ‘third contact’?
Were waiting outside cafeteria for dinner (started fighting)
Rattlers go in first (with ‘ladies first’ from eagles)
Eagles wait until rattlers are done getting food to enter (and verbal fight breaks out)
after sitting down (and staff leaves to fight outside) food fight and throwing paper ensues
What happened in the ‘fourth contact’?
Next movie watching
seats were mostly separate (some interactions between movies / when movie ended but fully separated again when got up to leave)
What happened at the fifth contact?
Got them to repick seating during breakfast to see if they would still be aggressive and separate
(answer was yes)
What happened at the sixth contact?
Fireworks
Had to go out to do it
Groups didn’t intermingle
What happened at the seventh contact?
Food fight
What did the eagle participant observer notice after all these contacts?
Just contact without having bigger goals that can unite the two groups would not be enough to reduce prejudice
Just contact will not be enough
Bigger / Superordinate Goals
The drinking Water problem
Both groups = thirsty
Clogged water tank (and told kids there may be water shortage)
Then once the staff drained all the water in the pipes, told kids that the water system had failed.
Made groups to find the cause of the damage (and kids separated by group)
Found the faucet and boys worked together to try get it undone (eventually a rattler boys suggested an eagle observer try and staff members fixed it)
Was there positive interaction with the drinking water problem?
Yes! rattlers even let eagles go ahead of them for water cuz they didn’t have canteen’s on them
(more mingling and friendly interaction)
But success didn’t last super long, as they were angry with each other at dinner
What happened in “the problem of securing a movie”
Deciding how to afford a movie to watch
Arguments from each group on why the other group should pay more
Eventually decided on splitting it equally
- At dinner no objections to eating together
Previously, the eagles had been eating first, what changed after the movie?
Each group taking turns on who goes first (introduced by the boys)
What happened with ‘campout at cedar lake’?
Went to camping area (but truck broke down when needed food (planned))
Had to tug of war (previously used in conflict) with the truck to get it going
Ran rope so there was two ends (and most stayed on one side with their group)
- After one try they mostly intermingled
What happened at meal preparation?
Getting along (not shaming ppl from other groups) and even laughing together
A rattler even questioning an observer where he should sit (and then sat with the eagles)
What happened with “tent pitching”?
All the stuff to make a tent was mixed up (so needed other group to do it)
-They traded the necessary items and kept on going
The truck broke down a second time and kids immediately used the tug of rope. What is significant about it?
Intergroup relations does not stem from tools / techniques: the same tools that drove conflict can be used for harmony and integration
What was important about them deciding to all go in one truck?
If they got along was now dependent on the situation
They did seem to get along after it was decided they’d all go back together
At the last day: did the groups sit separately?
Sat together!
Groups even met to hang out at Stone Corral / Robbers cave
On the bus leaving, did they sit together?
Yes
(some kids cheered when they learned they could all take the bus together)
One boy even cried cuz camp was over
Rattler group even used $5 earned in a competition to buy a treat for all the boys
