Sherif et al - The Robbers Cave Experiment

What was Sherif's aim?

Explore how competition and frustration of a group's goals can lead to unfavourable stereotyping and prejudiced attitudes towards outgroups

What type of experiment was this?

Field experiment

What was the independent variable?

Whether the atmosphere in the camp was cooperation or competition

What was the dependent variable?

Number of friends in the outgroup

Describe the sample.

22 boys, aged 11, Protestant, from the USA, socially and well adjusted

What kind of data was collected?

Qualitative and quantitative

What kind of methods were used to gather data?

Covert observation, measuring ranked scales about boys' beliefs about each other

What was stage 1?

Group formation, non-competitive activities to promote bonding within groups

What was stage 2?

Friction, each group learned of the others' existence and researchers created a tournament with prizes for the winning group

What was stage 3?

Reduced friction, increased social contact between groups and tasks which involved intergroup cooperation

What were the two groups called?

Eagles and Rattlers

What does intergroup competition lead to?

Increased ingroup favouritism and solidarity and outgroup hostility

Increased social contact is not enough to decrease prejudice, what is?

Using superordinate goals