eneral

sychology

The Robber Cave Camp Study (Sherif et al., 1961; Sherif, 1966)

Well-adjusted 11- and 12-year-old children arrived at camp and were randomly assigned to one or two groups. The boys initially did not know about the existence of the other group. They were housed in separate cabins and during the first days of camp participated only in planned activities with other members of their group. Leaders emerged within each group, group jokes developed, and each group adopted a name for themselves.

The camp leaders then introduced competitive activities in which only one group could obtain a reward. Hostility was the immediate result of these competitive games. The groups called each other derogatory names, raided each others camp, and wanted no further contact with the group members. Solidarity within each group peaked as aggression between groups increased.

Reducing the conflict between groups was very difficult. Introducing a third group which served as a "common enemy" only broadened the conflict. Religious services and appeals to moral values were ineffective. Holidays, like the Fourth of July, resulted in even more conflict. Eventually the investigators attenuated conflict by introducing a superordinate goal. A superordinate goal is one that can only be achieved through cooperation. A breakdown of the water-supply was staged and the boys joined forces to find the leak. This emergency produced a temporary lull in aggression between groups. The researchers then instigated a series of emergencies (e.g., pulling a truck out of the mud) that required cooperation between groups. The result of introducing a series of superordinate goals was to reduce hostility. Eventually, friendships even developed across group lines.

The Jigsaw Classroom

Can superordinate goals be used to reduce hostility in other settings? The jigsaw classroom developed by Aronson et al. (1978a, 1978b) provides an interesting example of this principle. This approach requires that students work together to master the material for an upcoming examination. Students are grouped into teams and each student is given only part of the information necessary to pass the test. In order to do well, students must cooperate and teach one another.

The jigsaw classroom has been used in recently desegregated schools. Comparisons were made between students in the jigsaw classroom and other students in the same school using the traditional competitive method. The jigsaw classroom reduced prejudice and increased friendships between ethnic groups. Minority students obtained higher test scores and had a greater liking for the school if they were in the jigsaw classes. Whites students also benefited. Their self-esteem and liking for the school rose as a result of participation in the jigsaw project. In addition, their test scores were at least as high as whites in the traditional classrooms.
 
 

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