QCAA Psychology - Tajfel (1970)

Identity which of the following is not a characteristic of a group:

• There is an understanding of different roles based on norms.

• There are two or more people.

• People work against each other with different goals or motives.

• Each member can influence each other.

Answer explanation

A group includes members who work together to achieve a common goal. If members of the group start to work against each other, than they are no longer cohesive and aligned to a common motive.

Social ​ (a)   is a person’s ​ (b)   of who they are based on their ​ (c)   . Membership is a formal or informal understanding that you ​ (d)   the same common goals, ​ (e)   and motives.

• identity
• sense
• group membership(s)
• share
• values

Identify which statement/s best defines 'in-group favouritism'.

Select all correct options.

• Seeing our own group members as unique.

• Seeing our own group members in a positive way.

• Seeing members of other groups in a positive way.

• Seeing members of our own group in a negative way.

Identify which statement best defines 'out-group' bias:

• Seeing members from the out-group as all the same and in a positive light.

• Seeing members from the out-group as all different and in a negative light.

• Seeing members from the out-group as all different and in a positive light.

• Seeing members from the out-group as all the same in a negative light.

Answer explanation

Out-group bias is the psychological tendency to have a dislike for other people that are outside of one’s own identity group.

Identify what social identity theory aims to explain.

Select all correct options.

• Intergroup conflict

• Discrimination

• Ageism

• Prejudice

Answer explanation

Social identity theory aims to explain how and why conflict, discrimination and prejudice can occur between in-groups and out-groups. It does not look to explain the difference between individual ages.

Contrast in-groups with out-groups.

Answer explanation

An in-group is a group of people with a shared interest, identity or beliefs, whereas an out-group is a group of people that exist outside of someone else’s group and lacks a sense of group membership.

Keywords:

• in-group

• out-group

Tips:

To contrast means to look for differences.

Using your understanding of in-groups and out-groups, focus on key terms such as belonging, sense of self, self-esteem and identity. An individual has a sense of membership within an in-group but does not experience this within an out-group.

Recall the type of experiment Tajfel (1970) used.

• Laboratory experiment

• Field experiment

• Natural experiment

• Quasi-experiment

After the first experiment, the participants gave more money to the opposing out-group.

Identify if this statement is true or false.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

False. Participants demonstrated in-group favouritism by allocating more money to members of their own group rather than the opposing out-group.

Recall what happened in the second part of the experiment.

• Participants spoke to each other.

• Participants drew portraits of each other.

• Participants had to rate two photographs.

• Participants rated paintings by Klee or Kadinsky.

Answer explanation

Participants were divided into two groups based on their aesthetic preference of Klee or Kandinsky paintings.

A strength of Tajfel's 1970 study was the use of an ​ (a)   methodology, which increased the ​ (b)   of the findings however the study ​ (c)   population ​ (d)   , since participants were only ​ (e)   , aged between 14 and 15 years.

• experimental
• reliability
• lacked
• validity
• boys
• quasi-experimental
• had
• girls