Sherif

Question 1

When and where did the Robber’s Cave study take place?

Answer 1

1954 - American summer camp

Question 2

What was Sherif’s sample?

Answer 2

22 white 11 year old Protestant boys from Oklahoma with similar IQ and sport abilities

Question 3

What happened in Stage 1?

Answer 3

• The boys were separated into two groups (unaware of each other’s existence)
• They gave themselves names: The Eagles and The Rattlers
• They were kept separate for 1 week and given the chance to bond as a group

Question 4

What happened in Stage 2?

Answer 4

• Boys were introduced to each other and immediately competed
• Burned each other’s flags, vandalised and stole each other’s stuff
• Called each other names such as “cheat” and sneak”
• Forced to watch films together and bickered with one another

Question 5

What happened in Stage 3?

Answer 5

Were given super-ordinate goals such as:

• Fixing a broken water pipe
• Pulling a broken down truck

Question 6

What were the results at the end of Stage 2?

Answer 6

• 6.4% of the Rattlers liked the Eagles

- 7.7% of the Eagles liked the Rattlers

Question 7

What were the results at the end of Stage 3?

Answer 7

• 36.3% of the Rattlers liked the Eagles?

- 23.2% of the Eagles liked the Rattlers

Question 8

How were the boys observed?

Answer 8

By Junior Camp Counsellors (college students) who lived with the two groups and Senior Camp Counsellors who observed the boys for 12 hours per day

Question 9

What is the conclusion of the study?

Answer 9

That groups will come into conflict when in competition for scarce resources

Question 10

Is the study generalisable?

Answer 10

Matched pairs design

Androcentric, ethnocentric and were all the same age

Question 11

Is the study reliable?

Answer 11

Tape recorded - intra-rater reliability
Several observers - inter-rater reliability
Set tasks, procedure etc.

Field experiment

Question 12

Is the study applicable?

Answer 12

Yes because it can be used to stop violence and discrimination and suggest ways in which conflict can be solved

Question 13

Is the study valid?

Answer 13

High eccological validity
High mundane realism

Some of the boys claimed they knew they were taking part in a study

Question 14

Is the study ethical?

Answer 14

Kept confidential

Lack of protection from harm
Didn’t give informed consent
Parents were told of the study but children weren’t

Question 15

What was the aim of Sherif?

Answer 15

To see if creating in-groups and out-groups would cause prejudice in a group of boys

Question 16

Why were the breaking off ethical guidelines justified?

Answer 16

Because if they weren’t broke the study would be low in validity