Researchers reproduce Sherif's Robbers Cave study. At a summer camp, 22 boys are divided into two groups that bond independently for a week. After they meet in tournaments with prizes for only one team, hostility, name-calling, and raids escalate quickly. Counselors then arrange for both groups to push a stuck water-supply truck together.
The intergroup hostility that emerged is best explained by:
- A
Cognitive dissonance reduction
- B
Bystander diffusion of responsibility
- C
Mere exposure effect
- Dcheck_circle
Realistic conflict theory—competition for limited resources fosters out-group prejudice
Explanation
Sherif's classic interpretation: zero-sum competition over scarce rewards produces in-group cohesion and out-group hostility, the core of realistic conflict theory.