Experiments in Group Conflict
Sherif, M. (1958). Experiments in Group Conflict. Scientific American, 54–58.
Arhe Vaninetti
Research Methods, PSY301, Pacific University, Oregon
April 11, 2023
In Sherif’s 1958 study, they aimed to create a naturalistic observation of group conflict in 11 to 12 year old boys. To reduce the potential confounds from the boy’s backgrounds, the selected subjects had to undergo extensive screening of their family, teachers, and get interviewed themselves. The selected subjects had homogenous backgrounds and were ‘normal’ in every respect—from personality to behavior. The background that each boy had consisted of being from a stable, white, middle-class, Protestant family (which allowed for the reduction of confounding variables in the study). Continue reading “Sherif (1958) Critique: “Experiments in Group Conflict””