Two Key Studies of Origins of Conflict & Conflict Resolution (DP IB Psychology)

Key study one: Pettigrew & Tropp (2006)

Aim:  To provide an overview of research which investigates the contact hypothesis as a means to reducing intergroup conflict

Procedure: 

• A meta-analysis of 515 studies on the contact hypothesis

• The researchers obtained 515 studies which investigated the contact hypothesis, with specific emphasis on reducing prejudice between groups

• The quantitative findings of these studies were subject to statistical analysis so that effect sizes could be determined:

  • the larger the effect size then the stronger the relationship between the contact hypothesis and:

    • the origin of conflict

    • the resolution of this source of conflict so as to reduce prejudice

Results: 

• The overall finding was that the contact hypothesis does predict a reduction in prejudice:

  • The studies showing greater intergroup contact also showed less intergroup prejudice

  • 94% of studies showed that increased intergroup contact reduces prejudice

  • This finding was true for a wide range of social groups

  • This finding was not confined only to racial or ethnic groups.

 Conclusion: The contact hypothesis may be an effective way of reducing intergroup prejudice for a range of social groups

Evaluation of Pettigrew & Tropp (2006)

Strengths

• A sample of 515 studies generates robust quantitative data which gives the findings reliability:

  • Quantitative data is robust if it deals with large sample sizes

  • The larger the sample size the less the data will be affected by outliers and anomalies thus it is can withstand statistical analysis

• The use of secondary data means that there is less chance that researcher bias influenced the results

Limitations

• Using statistical analysis to understand intergroup conflict is a reductionist approach as it focuses only on numbers rather than on the complexities of human behaviour:

  • Quantitative findings can highlight what happens but not why it happens

• Some research findings contradict these findings, for example:

  • Minard (1952) found that White miners in a southern state of the USA were happy to have friendly and close relations with Black co-workers, but only when they were underground:

    • Once they were above ground and work was over for the day the friendly behaviour dropped from 80% to 20%, highlighting the strong adherence to social norms on the part of the White miners.

    • In this case mere contact and a shared occupation was not enough to pierce the prevailing norms of the time and place

Key study two: Turner et al. (2007)

Aim: To investigate whether intergroup relations can be improved simply by imagining contact with the other group

Participants:

• Young people from a large city in the north of England (Experiment 1 and 2)

• Heterosexual men from a large city in the north of England (Experiment 3)

Procedure:

• The research was conducted using three different experiments

  • Experiment 1: the researchers asked young participants to either:

    • imagine talking to an elderly person

    • imagine an outdoor scene (control group)

  • Experiment 2: the researchers asked young participants to either:

    • imagine talking to an elderly person

    • simply think about elderly people (control group)

  • Experiment 3: the researchers asked heterosexual men to either:

    • imagine talking to a homosexual man

    • imagine a neutral scene (control group)

Results:

• Experiment 1: 

  • participants who imagined talking to an elderly person showed lower levels of intergroup bias than participants in the control group

• Experiment 2:

  • participants who imagined talking to an elderly person showed lower levels of intergroup bias than participants in the control group

• Experiment 3: participants who imagined talking to a homosexual man:

  • gave higher ratings for homosexual men generally

  • perceived homosexual men more positively

  • perceived there to be greater variability and individuality amongst homosexual men than participants in the control group

• A general finding of reduced intergroup anxiety was also a product of imagining talking to an elderly person/homosexual man

Conclusion: Imagined intergroup contact could be used to resolve conflict when it is not possible or practical for groups to interact face-to-face

Evaluation of Turner et al. (2007)

Strengths

• The study suggests an ‘easy win’ in terms of resolving conflict and reducing prejudice as the act of imagining is straightforward, cost-effective and accessible to all

• The use of three separate experiments means that the study has good internal validity:

  • The findings of each experiment check and agree with the findings from the others 

Limitations

• The participants may have succumbed to social desirability bias:

  • It is socially acceptable to express positive feelings towards outgroups, particularly if those outgroups are easily stereotyped or discriminated against

  • Expressing positive feelings towards the elderly/homosexual men may have been the result of simply going along with what participants thought the researchers wanted to hear (they may have hidden their true feelings)

• Asking large numbers of people to ‘simply imagine’ talking to an outgroup member may prove difficult to achieve on a large scale