Sherif’s Robber’s Cave studies showed competition breeds bias while cooperation reduces it

Evidence

In a series of studies beginning in 1949, including the classic Robber’s Cave experiment, Sherif and his colleagues demonstrated that functional relations between groups are critical in determining intergroup attitudes. In particular, competition between groups produces prejudice and discrimination, whereas intergroup interdependence and successful cooperative interaction reduce intergroup bias. Allport’s insights, however, laid the foundation for two fundamental new developments on this topic: (a) a focus on perceptions of group conflict and competition, rather than inherent conflict and competition, and (b) an emphasis on the role of collective identity in intergroup conflict. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1483

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the contact hypothesis literature and Allport’s own intergroup contact work.
• SHARE: Worth sending to anyone teaching social psychology’s classic experiments.