Social Identity Theory ERQ: Tajfel (1971) and Hillard and Liben (2010)

Aim of Hillard and Liben (2010)

To investigate how social category salience affects the development of stereotypes and inter-group behavior in elementary school children, based on Social Identity Theory.

Participants of Hillard and Liben (2010)

Fifty-seven US children aged 3 years 1 month to 5 years 6 months from two preschools participated in the study. Each school had an equal number of male and female children.

Procedure of Hillard and Liben (2010)

Children completed a gender attitude test (POAT-AM) to measure their "gender flexibility" by indicating which gender should perform certain activities.

Their play behavior was observed to determine the extent of interaction with same-sex and opposite-sex peers.

Preschools were randomly assigned to either a high salience condition or a low salience condition.

In the high salience condition, children were made aware of their gender through various cues like lining up by sex and gender-specific language.

In the low salience condition, no changes were made to the classroom environment.

The study lasted for two weeks, after which the children were debriefed to counteract any increase in stereotyping.

Results of Hillard and Liben (2010)

After two weeks, children in the high salience condition showed significantly increased gender stereotypes and decreased play with other-sex peers.

In the low salience condition, there was no significant change in play behavior or gender stereotypes.

Strengths of Hillard and Liben (2010)

Experimental design allowed for the manipulation of the independent variable in the children's natural environment.

The study demonstrated a cause-and-effect relationship between social category salience and the development of stereotypes and inter-group behavior.

Field experiment design provided high ecological validity.

Weaknesses of Hillard and Liben (2010)

The study suffers from sampling bias, as participants were most likely middle to upper-class children from preschools with gender-neutral policies.

The study's low internal validity due to the inability to strictly control the environment.

Ethical concerns about potential harm to the children's behavior, although debriefing was provided to mitigate negative effects.

Critical Thinking

The study highlights the role of social category salience in the development of stereotypes and inter-group behavior in children.

The findings contribute to our understanding of Social Identity Theory and its application to real-world settings.

The study's ecological validity is a strength, but its sample bias limits the generalizability of the findings beyond the sample population.

Name of Study 1

Hillard and Liben (2010)

Name of Study 2

Tajfel (1971)

Aim of Tajfel (1971)

To test whether the simple act of grouping was enough to produce prejudice between groups of very similar people even when there is no history or competition between the groups.

Procedure of Tajfel (1971)

Shown clusters of varying numbers of dots, flashed onto a screen, and had to estimate the number of dots in each cluster. Assigned to groups at random categorized as "over-estimator", "under-estimator", etc. Had to allocate small amounts of money to the other boys in the experiment.The only thing they knew of the boys was if they belonged to the same or different category. In the second experiment, they were allocated to groups based on their supposed artistic preferences for 2 painters (Kandinsky and Klee). They had to award money to the other boys.

Results of Tajfel (1971)

A large majority of the boys gave more money to members of their own category (in-group) than to members of the other categories (out-group).In the second experiment, the boys tried to maximize the difference between 2 groups

Conclusiom of Tajfel (1971)

The researchers concluded that both experiments indicated that the boys adopted a strategy of in-group favouritism and that in-group and out-group do influence one's behaviour.

Sample of Tajfel (1971)

Participants were 64 schoolboys, aged 14-15, from a state school in the UK. They went to a psychology laboratory in groups of 8. All knew each other well before the experiment.

Strenght Tajfel (1971)

• Controlled Environment:

  • The use of a laboratory experiment ensured high control over extraneous variables, allowing for clear cause-and-effect relationships.

  • Standardized procedures made replication possible, enhancing the reliability of the findings.

• Insights into Prejudice and Discrimination:

  • Demonstrated the minimal conditions required for in-group favoritism and out-group discrimination, providing valuable insights into the social identity theory.

  • Offers practical implications for understanding and addressing societal issues related to prejudice and discrimination.

weakness Tajfel (1971)

• Low Generalizability:

  • The sample was unrepresentative, consisting only of teenage boys from the same school, limiting the applicability of the findings to other groups such as females, different age groups, or cultures.

• Low Ecological Validity:

  • The artificial task (point allocation in matrices) and laboratory setting do not reflect real-life social interactions or discrimination.

  • Possible demand characteristics may have influenced participants' behavior.

Evaluation

Tajfel (1971) and Hilliard and Liben (2010) both provide valuable insights into Social Identity Theory (SIT) by demonstrating the effects of social categorization on group dynamics and stereotypes. Tajfel's study shows how minimal group categorization can lead to in-group favoritism and out-group discrimination, even in artificial contexts. However, its low ecological validity and reductionist approach limit its real-world applicability. Conversely, Hilliard and Liben investigate the impact of categorization in a naturalistic classroom setting, illustrating how labeling by gender increases stereotypes and in-group favoritism over time. While this study has higher ecological validity and practical applications, it is limited by potential confounding variables and ethical concerns. Together, these studies underscore the pervasive influence of social categorization on identity and behavior, offering complementary perspectives on SIT.