Sherif - Classic Flashcards
Aim - P1, A01
Sherif’s aim was to explore how competition and frustration of a group’s goals can lead to unfavourable stereotyping and prejudiced attitudes and inward group solidarity
Sample - P1, A01
22 middle class protestant boys who were 11 years old and were socially and emotionally well adjusted
Weakness of sample - P1, A03
a weakness of Sherif’s study is that it lacks generalisability.
for example, the sample was limited as it was androcentric and only consisted of one age group with similar characteristics.
therefore, the findings cannot represent a population outside of this sample which reduces their usefulness.
Procedure - P2, A03
field experiments with 2 independent groups - the rattlers and the eagles, the boys were divided into 2 groups of even ability where the boys were matched on things such as IQ and sporting prowess
doctors and parents gave consent but the parents were not allowed to visit
the two groups arrived on separate days at different locations
the study consisted of 3 stages -
1. bonding with their groups in non-competitive games - Rattlers and Eagles
2. the friction stage where each group learned there was another group and the researchers created tournaments which involved prizes for the winners
3. reducing friction where social contact with the other group increased and superordinate goals were introduced such as both groups needing to come together and fix a water supply so that it was restored for the camp
both groups left the camp as friends
Strength of procedure - P2, A03
One strength of Sherif’s procedure was that there was a high level of reliability.
The 3 different stages which the study consisted of was planned before the study began meaning that they were standardised and all participants had the same experience of the study
therefore, this means that the results found would be reliable as there was no differences in what the different participants experienced during the study
COUNTER ARGUMENT TO Strength of procedure - P2, A03
However, the study was a field experiment which was carried out in a natural environment. this means that there would be been extraneous variables present in the natural environment of the summer camp which could have impacted on the conflict between the groups.
Therefore, this means that the results found that competition increased conflict could have been caused by the extraneous variables present in the natural environment of the summer camp, meaning that the results may not be reliable or can be replicated to check consistency
Findings - P3, A01
During stage 1 - the groups named themselves, leaders were established and differing social norms were developed.
The Rattlers were tough and swore, the Eagles cried more and were anti-swearing.
During stage 2 - hostility developed rapidly with name calling and fights, raids on each other’s cabins, one group burnt the others flag
Ingroup members were seen as brave, tough and friendly. Outgroup members were seen as sneaky, smart Alecs or stinkers
Only 6.4% of rattlers friends were eagles and 7.5% of Eagles friends were rattlers
During stage 3 - social contact and superordinate tasks
Conclusions - P3, A01
the conclusions Sherif drew from the study was that intergroup competition leads to increased ingroup favouritism and solidarity but also to outgroup hostility
Increased social contact is not enough to reduce prejudice - requires a series of superordinate goals
strength of findings and conclusion - Application of the findings P3, A03
One strength of Sherif’s study is that it can be applied to reducing prejudice in society
Aronson and Bridgeman used Sherif’s ideas about superordinate goals to develop the ‘jigsaw classroom’, an intervention for tackling racial prejudice in American schools
Students worked together and took responsibility for different parts of a group project.
Liking and empathy for outgroup members increased and academic performance of black minority students increased
Therefore, this means that Sherif’s research led to interventions to help ethnic minority students to reach their academic potential at school rather than being held back by discrimination from their peers
