Social Psychology and the Robbers Cave Experiment

Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) (Sherif, 1966)

States that intergroup conflict arises from competition for limited resources.

Key Concepts

• In-group: A group with shared interests/identity.
• Out-group: People outside the in-group.
• Inter-group conflict: Prejudice and discrimination due to competition for resources.
• Superordinate goals: Cooperation between groups to achieve shared goals.
• Negative interdependence: When only one group can achieve a goal, leading to conflict.
• Positive interdependence: When groups must cooperate to reach a goal.

Evidence

• Ember and Ember (1992): Intergroup hostility increases with resource competition in tribal societies.
• Hovland and Sears (1940): Negative correlation between cotton prices and lynchings of African-Americans in the South.
• Dollard (1938): Prejudice increases with economic competition (e.g., against German and Chinese immigrants).

Reducing Prejudice

Superordinate goals can decrease intergroup conflict by promoting cooperation.

Strengths of RCT

• Supported by the Robber's Cave study.
• Empirical research supports RCT.

Limitations of RCT

• Social Identity Theory offers an alternative explanation without competition.
• Ethical concerns about manipulating groups to create prejudice.
• Reductionist, ignoring biological factors.

Application

Explains prejudice in real-life scenarios like sports hooliganism.

The Robbers Cave Experiment (Sherif et al, 1961)

A field experiment examining intergroup relations, in-group behavior, and the impact of superordinate goals.

Aim

To study intergroup relations, in-group behavior, out-group hostility and test if Superordinate goals reduce prejudice.

Participants

22 boys (11-12 years old) from middle-class Protestant families, well-adjusted, with no prior unusual frustration.

Methodology

Field experiment at Robber’s Cave State Park, Oklahoma, lasting 3 weeks. Matched pairs design based on IQ, sporting ability, and home life.

Data Collection

• Observation (12 hours/day)
• Sociometric analysis (friendship patterns)
• Experiment (bean collection estimation)
• Tape recordings (language used)

Procedure

• Stage 1: In-group Formation: Boys divided into two groups (Rattlers, Eagles).
• Stage 2: Inter-group Friction: Competition (tournaments, tug of war, cabin raiding) leading to hostility.
• Stage 3: Inter-group Integration: Introducing superordinate goals (restoring water supply, securing food) requiring cooperation.

Results

Increased out-group friendships after the introduction of superordinate goals.

Conclusion

Competition leads to prejudice; cooperation through superordinate goals reduces hostility.

Evaluation

• Generalizability: Limited due to unrepresentative sample (male, age, similar backgrounds).
• Reliability: Field experiment lacks standardized procedures.
• Application: Explains real-world in-group/out-group prejudice.
• Validity: High ecological and task validity.
• Ethics: Deception used to avoid demand characteristics; presumptive consent from parents.