Social Classic Study - Sherif (1954)

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Aim

  • To investigate how in-group behaviour developed to include related out-group hostility.
  • To see how friction between groups could be reduced.
  • To examine how attitudes and behaviours changed as a result of controlled alterations in conditions, the most significant of which was the introduction of competition.

Procedure/Results

  • Sample - 22 11 year old boys who had never met. They were all from Protestant families in Oklahoma. They were matched as far as possible and were split into two groups of 11. They were matched for the group split too.
  • The boys were unaware of being in the study and the aims were kept hidden, parents were also told not to visit the camp as it would make the boys homesick.
  • The study was an observation and each group was watched for 12 hours a day. Issues such as friendship patterns were noted and experiments were carried out. It was a field experiment.

Phase 1: In-group Formation

Procedure

  • The groups were kept separate at the camp for one week and were encouraged to bond as two individual groups.
  • The boys chose names for their groups (The Eagles and The Rattlers) and stencilled them onto shirts and flags. In this stage, two boys left due to being homesick.

Findings

  • Both groups developed similarly due to being so carefully matched. Differences did occur in their decisions which could have been due to their cabins being situated differently.
  • Status positions settled in the groups within the first week.
  • The Rattlers spoke about the other group frequently but The Eagles did not refer to them as much, however they did become competitive against them. 
  • It seemed the the existence of an out-group led to hostility.

Phase 2: Inter-group Relations, the Friction Phase

Procedure

  • After the first week, the two groups were…

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