sherif- classical study

Question 1

aim

Answer 1

sherif aimed to understand what factors caused hostility between 2 groups and to see if hostility could be reduced.
investigate how attitudes and behaviours changed as a result of controlled conditions especially competition

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

weakness- sample consisted of 24 ppts of 12 year old boys, all from oklahoma america, ‘ white, bright and sporty’ household of 2 protestant parents
-lacks generalisability, ethno and androcentric, mot represntitive of other genders, cultures, religeons and how they would react to comeptition arrising between 2 groups

strength- although sherif purposly made the sample of very similar charachteristics to minimise the effects of ppt vairables, and ensure that hostility was due to e.g. competition not predispositional factors. increasing validiity- clear cause and effect

Question 3

procedure

Answer 3

stage 1-in group formation, boys were introduced to other group members and spent the first week with them completing activities such as hiking and swimming to develop a connection and in group norms, unaware of the presence of the other group at this stage, last day of this stage were made aware of the other groups presence

stage 2- friction phase, competition between groups began, paticipated in competitive acticities such as scavenger hunts, baseball, tug of war, this created hostility between groups such as ransacking eachothers cabins and burning flags. trophy was awarded to the winners and prises such as knives and medals

stage 3- integration, sherif wanted to see if hosility between groups could be removed with superodinate goals- finding a missing part of the broken water pipe, using a rope to pull out the truck stuck in the mud, using their money collectivley to watch a movie.

strength- standerdised, can be replicated to test for consitency of how outgroup hostility occurs between groups when there is competition and how hostility can be reduced through superordinate goals.

weakness: although tasks were changed depending on weather and interests, such as when it may have been too dangerous to do a task due to weather conditions and boys not being interested in the tasks meaning if replicated procedure may not have been excact and reliability cant be established.

Question 4

results and application

Answer 4

although, the study demonstrates that superordinate goals are effective for reducing hostility as well as hositility can arise due to competiing goals and competition over limited resouces.

this can be used to understand reasons for conflict in the past e.g. WW2 as well as prejudice e.g. in schools. this can help in preventing prejudice to occur in e.g. schools by using superosdinate goals like jigsaw classroom which involves each member of the task completeting one part of the work to collectively complete th whole task