The Psychology of Human Relationships
GROUP DYNAMICS
Focus Central Claim Study 1- sociocultural Study 2- biological
Cooperation Groups may engage in conflict Sherif et al Dabbs et al
and because they need to compete
competition for resources or distinguish Aim: Aim:
themselves from other groups. Observe the spontaneous development of group organisations and To investigate the relationship between testosterone level an
While group dynamics may attitudes.
play a role in understanding Method and procedure:
conflict, individual variability Method and procedure: ● Correlational study
can affect the likelihood that a Participants were composed of 22 white American protestant boys all aged ● Subjects were 87 female inmates in a maximum sec
person will respond between 11-12 years old. To control internal validity, none of the prison (US)
aggressively to a social threat. participants knew each other prior to this experiment. Criminal behaviour was scored from court records.
Therefore, conflict may be The procedure consisted of 3 stages: Institutional behaviour was scored from prison records and
better understood in the 1) Defining group identity staff members. Testosterone levels were scored from radio-i
interaction between individuals 2) Introducing conflict, saliva samples.
and their social environments. 3) Resolving conflict. In the first stage, groups were kept separate
and did activities that promoted the bonding of the two groups. Results:
After this identity was created, the researchers introduced conflict through Found correlation relationships among age, testosterone, cri
SCLOA: The greater the games, where most often one group benefited at the expense of the other behaviour, and institutional behaviour
competition for resources, the group. Age leads to lower testosterone, which in turn leads to less v
more likely it is that ingroups and less aggression in prison
and outgroups will form, and Results: The study also found that aggressive dominance increased w
discriminatory intergroup Results showed that there was name calling in between groups, and that increases.
behaviour will occur. solidarity increased amongst the groups. Furthermore, when participants
were asked to list features of both groups, they tended to positively Link back:
RCT: characterise their in-group and negatively characterise the out-group. The socio-cultural approach fails to account that social threa
Conflicts and negative perceived in the first place, and depending on this perceptio
prejudices are a result of Link back: threatened while others may not.
competition of resources From this study, researchers concluded that competition between the If an individual has heightened testosterone levels, this may
between groups. In-group groups induced conflict, as demonstrated through the in-group favouritism them to acting in an aggressive manner as the individual is m
favouritism and thus the and discrimination of the out-group. As the competition for resources perceive a social threat. This then activates the amygdala wh
discrimination of out-groups are increases between groups, it becomes more likely for in-groups and HPA stress response, resulting in more aggressive behaviou
sources from opposing goals out-groups to form. These groups in response may feel the need to aggressive behaviour can manifest itself in competition scen
(positive interdependence distinguish themselves from the out-groups, which results in them individuals may feel threatened by the vulnerability of resou
through common goal working engaging in conflict to compete for these resources. triggering a stress response in the amygdala.
together, and negative and thus this discriminatory behaviour also occurs and for negative
interdependence through a stereotypes to appear. This behaviour in turn leads to conflict.
group achieving goals through
the failure of another group) Evaluation
, and lead to the creation of + A strength of the study was high ecological validity due to the Evaluation
in-group norms. natural setting. The setting of the field study was Robber's cave + Looks at women in prison, provides an insight into
state park, which is a campsite, so a normal environment for is not often tested upon with testosterone and aggre
BLOA: children to go to in summer in America as summer camps were - This was a correlational study, as there was no man
Hormone theory: very common. There was spaces for the boys to play sports and variables. Therefore, we can't be sure that testostero
Hormone levels may cause an swim, and a mess hall to eat in and cabins to sleep in etc, so this people to be more violent. Perhaps it is the other w
individual to behave a certain would have been natural and familiar surroundings that all regularly committing acts of violence could increas
way. When hormones are participants would be used to. Therefore, the behaviour of the boys levels. Or maybe there's a hidden third factor - such
released into our body through was reflective of their natural behaviours and prejudicial attitudes, in a violent, abusive family - that might be responsi
the bloodstream they affect our as an artificial setting didn't cause them to behave differently. This increasing both testosterone and the likelihood of co
behaviour and various increases the external validity of the results, making the violent crimes
physiological processes. applications more useful
- Questionable measurement of the dependent variable. Use of Ethics: informed consent is important due to authority figur
Testosterone: self-reports may mean that results could be due to demand the study to prisoners. Some participants may have felt pres
If we have high testosterone characteristics. Some of the boys after the study claimed that they in the study because of fears from authority (i.e. may think t
levels when we’re threatened by felt like they were “being watched” treated unfairly if they didn't partake), so it is important for
someone and we’re motivated consent to take place so that they were aware this is not man
to deal with that social threat, Ethics- note bedwetting, anxiety, home sickness from participants, conflict to partake in, therefore lessen stress
our amygdala is more activated. that was promoted could have caused undue stress onto the participants
This will result in an increase in
emotional and physiological
arousal (e.g. increase in
adrenaline and heart rate). So if
we’re approaching a threat, we
want to deal with it and we
have high levels of emotional
and physiological arousal, we
may be more likely to react
aggressively because showing
aggression would be a good
way to deal with the threat.
Prejudice and Since prejudice finds its targets Tajfel et al Passamonti et al
discrimination in outgroups, its origins need to
lie, at least to some extent, in Aim: Aim:
ingroups. In this sense, Demonstrate the minimal group paradigm in creating bias, despite there To determine the relationship between serotonin levels (neu
discrimination is a form of being no pre-existing prejudice and violent behaviour.
intergroup behaviour.
Method and procedure: Method and procedure:
SCLOA- out groups and in Lab Experiment Lab experiment
groups ● IV: participants were either allocated to either preferring ● Repeated measures design, double blind (neither pa
Kandinsky or Klee’s abstract art randomly the experimenters knew which control was placebo
Social Identity Theory: ● DV: The kind of decision they made (fair or discriminatory) randomised
Individuals create and define ● Each participant was told to award points to two other boys, one ● fMRI scans
their place in groups and that that has the same artist preference, and one with the other artist ● 30 healthy individuals were recruited by opportunit
GROUP DYNAMICS
Focus Central Claim Study 1- sociocultural Study 2- biological
Cooperation Groups may engage in conflict Sherif et al Dabbs et al
and because they need to compete
competition for resources or distinguish Aim: Aim:
themselves from other groups. Observe the spontaneous development of group organisations and To investigate the relationship between testosterone level an
While group dynamics may attitudes.
play a role in understanding Method and procedure:
conflict, individual variability Method and procedure: ● Correlational study
can affect the likelihood that a Participants were composed of 22 white American protestant boys all aged ● Subjects were 87 female inmates in a maximum sec
person will respond between 11-12 years old. To control internal validity, none of the prison (US)
aggressively to a social threat. participants knew each other prior to this experiment. Criminal behaviour was scored from court records.
Therefore, conflict may be The procedure consisted of 3 stages: Institutional behaviour was scored from prison records and
better understood in the 1) Defining group identity staff members. Testosterone levels were scored from radio-i
interaction between individuals 2) Introducing conflict, saliva samples.
and their social environments. 3) Resolving conflict. In the first stage, groups were kept separate
and did activities that promoted the bonding of the two groups. Results:
After this identity was created, the researchers introduced conflict through Found correlation relationships among age, testosterone, cri
SCLOA: The greater the games, where most often one group benefited at the expense of the other behaviour, and institutional behaviour
competition for resources, the group. Age leads to lower testosterone, which in turn leads to less v
more likely it is that ingroups and less aggression in prison
and outgroups will form, and Results: The study also found that aggressive dominance increased w
discriminatory intergroup Results showed that there was name calling in between groups, and that increases.
behaviour will occur. solidarity increased amongst the groups. Furthermore, when participants
were asked to list features of both groups, they tended to positively Link back:
RCT: characterise their in-group and negatively characterise the out-group. The socio-cultural approach fails to account that social threa
Conflicts and negative perceived in the first place, and depending on this perceptio
prejudices are a result of Link back: threatened while others may not.
competition of resources From this study, researchers concluded that competition between the If an individual has heightened testosterone levels, this may
between groups. In-group groups induced conflict, as demonstrated through the in-group favouritism them to acting in an aggressive manner as the individual is m
favouritism and thus the and discrimination of the out-group. As the competition for resources perceive a social threat. This then activates the amygdala wh
discrimination of out-groups are increases between groups, it becomes more likely for in-groups and HPA stress response, resulting in more aggressive behaviou
sources from opposing goals out-groups to form. These groups in response may feel the need to aggressive behaviour can manifest itself in competition scen
(positive interdependence distinguish themselves from the out-groups, which results in them individuals may feel threatened by the vulnerability of resou
through common goal working engaging in conflict to compete for these resources. triggering a stress response in the amygdala.
together, and negative and thus this discriminatory behaviour also occurs and for negative
interdependence through a stereotypes to appear. This behaviour in turn leads to conflict.
group achieving goals through
the failure of another group) Evaluation
, and lead to the creation of + A strength of the study was high ecological validity due to the Evaluation
in-group norms. natural setting. The setting of the field study was Robber's cave + Looks at women in prison, provides an insight into
state park, which is a campsite, so a normal environment for is not often tested upon with testosterone and aggre
BLOA: children to go to in summer in America as summer camps were - This was a correlational study, as there was no man
Hormone theory: very common. There was spaces for the boys to play sports and variables. Therefore, we can't be sure that testostero
Hormone levels may cause an swim, and a mess hall to eat in and cabins to sleep in etc, so this people to be more violent. Perhaps it is the other w
individual to behave a certain would have been natural and familiar surroundings that all regularly committing acts of violence could increas
way. When hormones are participants would be used to. Therefore, the behaviour of the boys levels. Or maybe there's a hidden third factor - such
released into our body through was reflective of their natural behaviours and prejudicial attitudes, in a violent, abusive family - that might be responsi
the bloodstream they affect our as an artificial setting didn't cause them to behave differently. This increasing both testosterone and the likelihood of co
behaviour and various increases the external validity of the results, making the violent crimes
physiological processes. applications more useful
- Questionable measurement of the dependent variable. Use of Ethics: informed consent is important due to authority figur
Testosterone: self-reports may mean that results could be due to demand the study to prisoners. Some participants may have felt pres
If we have high testosterone characteristics. Some of the boys after the study claimed that they in the study because of fears from authority (i.e. may think t
levels when we’re threatened by felt like they were “being watched” treated unfairly if they didn't partake), so it is important for
someone and we’re motivated consent to take place so that they were aware this is not man
to deal with that social threat, Ethics- note bedwetting, anxiety, home sickness from participants, conflict to partake in, therefore lessen stress
our amygdala is more activated. that was promoted could have caused undue stress onto the participants
This will result in an increase in
emotional and physiological
arousal (e.g. increase in
adrenaline and heart rate). So if
we’re approaching a threat, we
want to deal with it and we
have high levels of emotional
and physiological arousal, we
may be more likely to react
aggressively because showing
aggression would be a good
way to deal with the threat.
Prejudice and Since prejudice finds its targets Tajfel et al Passamonti et al
discrimination in outgroups, its origins need to
lie, at least to some extent, in Aim: Aim:
ingroups. In this sense, Demonstrate the minimal group paradigm in creating bias, despite there To determine the relationship between serotonin levels (neu
discrimination is a form of being no pre-existing prejudice and violent behaviour.
intergroup behaviour.
Method and procedure: Method and procedure:
SCLOA- out groups and in Lab Experiment Lab experiment
groups ● IV: participants were either allocated to either preferring ● Repeated measures design, double blind (neither pa
Kandinsky or Klee’s abstract art randomly the experimenters knew which control was placebo
Social Identity Theory: ● DV: The kind of decision they made (fair or discriminatory) randomised
Individuals create and define ● Each participant was told to award points to two other boys, one ● fMRI scans
their place in groups and that that has the same artist preference, and one with the other artist ● 30 healthy individuals were recruited by opportunit
