Realistic Conflict Theory Flashcards
RCT
Sherif believes that prejudice is created through competition of groups, rather than just the existence of groups which is stated in Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory
Robbers Cave (1954) - APFC
A - find out what factors cause hostility to be created between 2 groups and how this can be reduced
P - 24 Ppts so 12 on each team. Ingroup Formation lasted a week, tasks were set up and the groups learnt of the other groups existence. Friction Phase - Tournaments between the 2 groups I.e. tug of war, prizes for winner. Integration Phase - Mere contact didn’t work so superordinate goals were introduced, e.g. trying to find a broken waterpipe
F - Opposing flags burned and camps raided. Outgroup friendship was 7% average after friction Phase, rose to 30% at end of integration Phase.
C - Outgroup hostility increased during competition, Intergroup hostility is inevitable when competition is present, yet it can be reduced through the use of superordinate goals.
Robbers Cave GRAVE
G - Sample of only 22 is small and anomalies could have large effects, however they were screened beforehand. were children and boys so not generalisable to adults and girls.
R - Issues w reliability as experimenters were only w boys for 12 hours a day. Sherif also invented certain games as he went along off script, meaning it is hard to replicate.
A - Shows effective ways of reducing hostility e.g. introducing superordinate goals.
V - Strong ecological activity as Ppts were in a natural setting. Lacks a control group which means there is nothing to compare it to. We don’t know explicitly if hostility was due to the creating of groups or not. Also Sherif instigated prejudice through fake raids and framing the other group
E - Ppts never knew they were being experimented on and did not give consent to do so. Physical fights broke out
RCT SODA
S - Robbers Cave (1954) strongly supports RCT. Also has face validity as football fans often have hostility to rival fans, due only to their membership of an outgroup.
O - Robbers Cave was carried out on American schoolboys, meaning it lacks generalizability to the entire population.
D - Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory is completely different. States that prejudice arises naturally due to the mere presence of an outgroup, rather than the competition for resources explained by RCT.
A - The idea of superordinate goals can be applied easily to everyday life in order to effectively reduce hostility. This can be useful in the work place or school.
