The "Robbers" cave - SHERIF ET AL (1961)
Aim - to look at the effects of group competition on prejudice and to investigate ways of reducing it
Method - 22boys aged 11-12years old. All white and from lower-middle class homes. They were there for 3weeks. The study was divided into stages.
Week1: boys were separated. at the end of the week it was arranged that they would become aware of each other
Week2: series of competitions for prizes and a team trophy
Week3: deliberately set up a few emergencies that could be sorted out by cooperation. They had the opportunity to work towards a super-ordinate goal.
Results - Week1: boys formed their own identity group
Week2: team identity increased while unoleasentness between groups got worse
Week3: boys worked together cooperatively. cross0group friendships had been formed by the end of the week
Conclusion - inter-group competition can result in the formation of the in-groups and out-groups with prejudice and disrimination. Super-ordinate goals can reduce prejudice
Evaluation - Small sample size.
- ethical problems. being placed in psychologically stressful situations
+ High ecological validity because it reflects everday behaviour
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