Social Psychology - Realistic Conflict Theory and Robbers Cave Experiment

Flashcards about Social Psychology, Realistic Conflict Theory, and the Robbers Cave Experiment, including key terms, definitions, and study details.

In-group

A group of people with a shared interest or identity.

Out-group

People who do not belong to the in-group (the opposition).

Inter-group conflict

Prejudice and discrimination between groups because of competition for limited resources.

Superordinate goals

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

Field experiment

Experiments occurring in a natural real-world setting.

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 does the Realistic Conflict Theory state?

Intergroup conflict (i.e. conflict between in-group and out-group) occurs when two groups are in competition for limited resources.

How can society reduce prejudice according to Realistic Conflict Theory?

Reduce prejudice by decreasing intergroup conflict, establishing superordinate goals where cooperation is needed to win resources.

Negative interdependence

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

Superordinate goals

When cooperation is required and both groups benefit.

Positive interdependence

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

According to Ember and Ember (1992), what increases in tribal societies when social or natural conditions mean that competition for resources is necessary?

Intergroup hostility increases when competition for resources increases.

According to Hovland and Sears (1940), what correlation existed between the price of cotton and the number of lynchings of southern African-Americans?

A significant negative correlation of -0.72 existed between the price of cotton and the number of lynchings of southern African-Americans.

What study supports Realistic Conflict Theory?

RCT is supported by the Robber’s Cave study which showed competition between in and out groups is required, and contact alone is not sufficient.

What is an alternative explanation to Realistic Conflict Theory?

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner) is an alternative explanation which does not include competition between the in group and out group.

What are the wider ethical implications of Realistic Conflict Theory?

The theory could be manipulated by governing bodies to create in groups and out groups in society to create prejudice and discrimination as a form of social control.

What was the Robbers Cave Experiment Aim?

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

Who were the Robbers Cave Experiment Participants?

22 male participants aged 11 – 12 years old, Middle-class Protestant families, boys had not previously demonstrated unusual frustration and were considered well-adjusted.

What was the Robbers Cave Experiment Methodology?

Field experiment at a Boy Scouts Camp Robber’s Cave State Park Oklahoma America for 3 weeks, Matched pairs design.

What was the Robbers Cave Experiment Data Collection?

Observation for 12 hours a day , Sociometric analysis, Experiment, Tape recording.

What happened in Stage 1: In-Group Formation of the Robbers Cave Experiment?

Boys randomly allocated into 2 equal groups, named their groups ‘Rattlers’ and ‘Eagles’ and assigned a group leader.

What happened in Stage 2: Inter-Group Friction of the Robbers Cave Experiment?

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

What happened in Stage 3: Inter-Group Integration of the Robbers Cave Experiment?

Restore water supply, Work together for food and sleeping gear, Restarting the broken camp bus.

What was the Robbers Cave Experiment Conclusion?

Competition for limited resources is required for prejudice and discrimination to occur. Contact is not sufficient for groups to reduce hostility, cooperation in the form of working together towards superordinate goals is required to overcome out-group hostility.

What does GRAVE stand for?

androcentric, ethnocentric (not representative) real world (applied) internal, ecological, task, population, predictive (applied*) repeatable, replicated, inter-rater, standardised procedure respect, harm, deception, informed consent, right to withdraw, debrief, confidentiality

What was the Robbers Cave Experiment Validity?

The matched pairs design allowed for individual differences between the participants to be accounted for and Field experiments have high ecological validity as participants are in a real-life setting.

What was the Robbers Cave Experiment Ethics?

The participants were deceived about the nature of the experiment and Presumptive consent from parents rather than fully informed consent from actual participants (too young).