Social Psychology and the Robbers Cave Experiment

Flashcards about Social Psychology and the Robbers Cave Experiment.

What is the Realistic Conflict Theory?

Intergroup conflict that occurs when two groups are in competition for limited resources.

What are superordinate goals?

Requires cooperation of two groups to achieve goals, which usually results in rewards for both the groups.

What is a Field experiment?

Experiments occurring in a natural real-world setting.

What is a Matched-pairs design?

Participants in the two conditions are matched based on similar characteristics, e.g. gender, age, so that the two conditions are equal.

What is In-group solidarity?

Increased between members of the same team when interpersonal competition arises.

How can society reduce prejudice, according to the Realistic Conflict Theory?

Society can reduce prejudice by decreasing intergroup conflict.

According to the Robbers Cave study, is cooperation or competition needed for prejudice and discrimination to occur?

Competition for limited resources is required for prejudice and discrimination to occur.

What does Competition mean in Realistic Conflict Theory?

Competition 2 groups striving for the same goal will magnify the differences between them. Competition may be economic, political, status

Negative interdependence

When only 1 group can reach the goal, there is a conflict of interests. This creates strong hostility between groups and solidarity within groups.

Superordinate goals

requires cooperation and both groups benefit

Positive interdependence

neither group can reach its goal without helping the other one to do so too

According to Ember and Ember (1992), when does intergroup hostility increase in tribal societies?

Tribal societies, intergroup hostility increases when social or natural conditions mean that competition for resources is necessary.

Hovland and Sears (1940) found what in their data?

When money was short in the town, hostility increased.

How were Chinese immigrants described during the California gold rush?

In direct competition with the Anglo-Saxon miners, they were described as “depraved and vicious, gross gluttons, bloodthirsty and inhuman”

Give an example of where this theory can be applied to in real life

Football games where hooliganism occurs.

What was the aim of the Robbers Cave Experiment?

A study of intergroup relations to examine the development of in-group behaviour and hostility toward the out-group and to study if the introduction of superordinate goals can overcome prejudice between in- groups and out-groups.

What data collection methods were used in the Robbers Cave experiment?

Observation for 12 hours a day, Sociometric analysis – friendship patterns studied, Experiment – collecting and estimating bean collection, Tape recording – to study language used when referring to in-group and out-group

Describe Stage 1 of the Robbers Cave experiment: In-Group Formation.

Boys randomly allocated into 2 equal groups at Robber’s Cave State Park Oklahoma. Boys named their groups ‘Rattlers’ and ‘Eagles’ and assigned a group leader.

Describe Stage 2 of the Robbers Cave experiment: Inter-Group Friction.

Competition during tournaments - collecting beans experiment, tug of war, raiding each other’s cabins.

Describe Stage 3 of the Robbers Cave experiment: Inter-Group Integration/Superordinate Goals.

Goals which can only be attained by cooperation between the 2 groups for resources.

Quantitative results from the Robbers Cave experiment.

93% of friends in own group at stage one, by the end of stage 3, 30% of friendships in out-group.

Qualitative Results from the Robbers Cave experiment

‘sneaks, smart alecs, stinkers’ to ‘brave tough, friendly’

Conclusion from the Robbers Cave experiment:

Cooperation not Contact Competition for limited resources is required for prejudice and discrimination to occur.

What are the generalization issues of the Rob Cave Experiment?

Unrepresentative sample of males aged 11 year olds from very similar family backgrounds.

What affected the reliability of the Robbers Cave Experiment?

Field experiments do not have standardised procedures which means the study cannot be entirely replicated easily and is not reliable. Audio recordings tapes of participants language can be replayed so there is inter-rater reliability, as other researchers could compare data collected.

What is the application aspect of the Robber's Cave experiment?

In-group and out-groups are evident in real-life. For example, football teams, peer groups, religious groups, this can explain prejudice apparent in society today.

What ethical issues are present in the Robbers Cave Experiment?

Participants were deceived about the nature of the experiment, for example they were told this is was a ‘summer camp’.