psych sociocultural approach

What was the aim of Tajfel (1970)?

To investigate whether intergroup discrimination occurs based on arbitrary group membership.

What was the procedure of Tajfel (1970)?

48 boys rated paintings, were randomly assigned to “Klee” or “Kandinsky” groups, and allocated points to in-group and out-group members under two point systems.

What were the findings of Tajfel (1970)?

Boys favoured their in-group, even when group membership was random, and were willing to sacrifice total points to maximise difference between groups.

What was the conclusion of Tajfel (1970)?

Even minimal group membership is enough for in-group favouritism and discrimination; social identity contributes to self-esteem.

What is social categorisation?

Classifying people into groups based on similar characteristics, leading to in-groups and out-groups.

What is social comparison?

Evaluating your in-group relative to out-groups to maintain self-esteem.

What is positive distinctiveness?

The effort to make the in-group seem better than the out-group.

What is the minimal group paradigm?

Even arbitrary or meaningless groupings lead to in-group favouritism.

What was the aim of Bandura et al. (1961)?

To determine whether children would imitate aggressive behaviour from an adult model.

What was the procedure of Bandura et al. (1961)?

3–5-year-old children observed a male/female model behaving aggressively, passively, or no model; then were left in a room with toys including a Bobo doll.

What were the findings of Bandura et al. (1961)?

Children who observed aggressive models imitated aggression; boys more physically aggressive, girls more verbally; same-sex models imitated more closely.

What was the conclusion of Bandura et al. (1961)?

Observational learning occurs; behaviour can be learnt without direct reinforcement; model similarity increases imitation.

What does observational learning mean in the context of SCT?

Learning behaviour by watching others.

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Learning occurs when a model is rewarded or punished, influencing the observer.

What was the aim of Hamilton & Gifford (1976)?

To investigate how illusory correlations contribute to the formation of stereotypes.

What was the procedure of Hamilton & Gifford (1976)?

70 undergraduates saw statements about two groups (majority/minority) with equal positive/negative behaviours; then ranked traits and recalled “undesirable” behaviours.

What were the findings of Hamilton & Gifford (1976)?

Participants overestimated negative traits in minority group due to distinctiveness; negative behaviours of minority seemed representative.

What was the conclusion of Hamilton & Gifford (1976)?

Distinctive information leads to illusory correlations, explaining why minority groups often receive negative stereotypes.

What was the aim of Steele & Aronson (1995)?

To investigate how stereotype threat affects test performance in African Americans.

What was the procedure of Steele & Aronson (1995)?

76 black and white undergraduates took a verbal test; test framed as measuring ability (threat) or problem-solving (non-threat).

What were the findings of Steele & Aronson (1995)?

African Americans performed worse than whites in the stereotype threat condition, but equally in the non-threat condition; simply indicating race activated stereotype threat.

What was the conclusion of Steele & Aronson (1995)?

Stereotype threat can impair performance even if individuals do not personally endorse the stereotype; leads to spotlight anxiety and potential self-fulfilling prophecy.

What is stereotype threat?

Anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype, which can affect performance.

What was the aim of Berry (1967)?

To investigate levels of conformity in individualistic vs collectivist societies.

What was the procedure of Berry (1967)?

Temne (collectivist), Inuit (individualist), and Scots completed a line-judging task (adapted Asch paradigm); traditional vs transitional groups included.

What were the findings of Berry (1967)?

Temne conformed most; Inuit least; transitional vs traditional within groups showed no significant difference.

What was the conclusion of Berry (1967)?

Collectivist cultures show higher conformity; cultural norms influence behaviour.

What is individualism?

Preference for self-reliance and personal goals.

What is collectivism?

Preference for group cohesion and collective responsibility.

What was the aim of Fagot (1978)?

To investigate the role of parents in gender-role development in toddlers.

What was the procedure of Fagot (1978)?

Observed 24 families (20–24-month-old children) over 5 weeks; 46 child behaviours and 19 parent reactions recorded; parents completed questionnaires.

What were the findings of Fagot (1978)?

Parents reinforced same-sex-typical behaviours; boys left alone more; fathers more concerned with sex-typing; parents often unaware of biases.

What was the conclusion of Fagot (1978)?

Parents shape gender-role behaviour through reinforcement, often unconsciously.

What is enculturation?

Learning cultural norms through observation and reinforcement.

What is gender-role socialisation?

Parents reinforcing behaviours considered appropriate for boys and girls.