When Sherif and his colleagues conducted a similar summer camp study in , the researchers were not successfully able to create group conflict and, while the researchers were in the process of trying to incite hostilities between the groups, the campers figured out what the researchers were trying to do. Researchers studying social identity have found that people categorize themselves as members of social groups as the members of the Eagles and Rattlers did , and that these group memberships can lead people to behave in discriminatory and hostile ways towards outgroup members.
According to the contact hypothesis, prejudice and group conflict can be reduced if members of the two groups spend time with one another, and that contact between groups is especially likely to reduce conflict if certain conditions are met.
In the Robbers Cave study, the researchers found that simply bringing the groups together for fun activities was not enough to reduce conflict. However, conflict was successfully reduced when the groups worked together on common goals—and, according to the contact hypothesis, having common goals is one of the conditions that makes it more likely that conflict between the groups will be reduced. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. After they had established separate group identities, they were brought together to compete at football, treasure hunts, tug-of-war, and other events, the winners receiving trophies and medals.
Almost immediately, Rattlers and Eagles became hostile and antagonistic towards each other: flags were burned, cabins ransacked, and a food fight escalated into a near-riot in the mess hall.
The experimenters restored peace by contriving situations in which members of the two groups had to cooperate to achieve superordinate goals. For example, the camp truck was made to break down at a spot where members of both groups were needed to pull it up a steep hill. At the end of the third week, the two groups were so friendly that they chose to travel home on the same bus. See also realistic group conflict theory, social identity theory.
Compare jigsaw classroom. Subjects: Science and technology — Psychology. Chapter 4: Understanding and Influencing Others. Chapter 5: Attitudes and Persuasion. Chapter 6: Close Relationships. Chapter 8: Helping and Hurting. Chapter 9: Group Dynamics. Full Table of Contents. This is a sample clip. Sign in or start your free trial.
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In order to begin, please login. Please click here to activate your free hour trial. If you do not wish to begin your trial now, you can log back into JoVE at any time to begin. This cooperation resulted in more harmonious relations between groups, as friendships began to develop across group lines.
As a telling sign of their newfound harmony, both groups expressed a desire to return home on the same bus. The Robbers Cave experiment has had an enormous impact on the field of social psychology. First, this study has implications for the contact hypothesis of prejudice reduction, which, in its simplest form, posits that contact between members of different groups improves how well groups get along.
This experiment illustrates how contact alone is not enough to restore intergroup harmony. Even after the competition between the boys ended, the hostility did not disappear during future contact. The hostility did not finally calm down until the context changed and cooperation between groups was required.
Thus, beyond mere contact, groups also need to be interdependent and have common goals. Second, this study validated the claims of realistic conflict theory, which specifies that prejudice and discrimination result when groups are placed in competition for valuable resources. The boys in this experiment clearly demonstrated that competition breeds intergroup hostility.
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