• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Individual Differences
• Physiological Psychology
• Social Psychology

1

In the experiments on categorisation by Tajfel, the boys favoured their own group even though they did not know who was in it.  Give two explanations for this.

 [4]

1996

2

Tajfel (in the study on prejudice) was interested in whether the boys in his study would be affected by maximum joint profit or by maximum difference when they made their judgements.  The figure below gives an example of the reward sheets used in the study.  Imagine that you are a member of the overestimators group.  Your task is to choose a pair of numbers to give a reward to one member of your group and one member of the other group.

Booklet for the overestimators group

These numbers are rewards for:

Member no. 74 of the         7   8   9  10  11  12  13  14 15  16  17  18  19

Overestimators group                

Member no. 44 of the         1   3   5   7   9   11   13  15  17  19  21  23  25

Underestimators group

Please fill in below the details of the box you have chosen

                                                                                    Amount

Reward for no. 74 of the over-estimators group                  ______

Reward for no. 44 of the under-estimators group                ______

(a)

Which pair of numbers would you choose to obtain the maximum joint profit? Give a reason for your choice.

  [2]

(b)

Which pair of numbers would you choose to obtain the maximum difference?  Give a reason for your choice.

  [2]

1997

3

(a)

In the study on ethnocentrism by Tajfel, how did the boys believe they had been allocated to groups?       

  [2]

(b)

Give one real life example of the allocation to groups that produces ethnocentrism

  [2]

1998

4

(a)

From the study by Tajfel on discrimination, what are the key features of ethnocentrism?

[2]

(b)

According to Tajfel, what are the minimum conditions for creating ethnocentrism?

[2]

1999

5

Matrix 1

(a)

In his study into intergroup discrimination, Tajfel used a set of matrices to try to find out whether the participants’ choices when awarding points would be influenced by one of three factors: ‘maximum in-group profit’, ‘maximum joint profit’ and ‘maximum difference’.  Using the matrix above, identify the pair of numbers that indicate ‘maximum joint profit’.

  [2]

(b)

When allocating points to an in-group and an out-group member the participants mostly used ‘maximum difference’.  Outline what this tells us about their behaviour.

 [2]

June 2001  

  6

In his study on intergroup discrimination, Tajfel suggests that belonging to one group and awareness of another causes discriminatory behaviour.

(a)

Outline one way in which the boys were categorised in the study.

[2]

(b)

Describe how Tajfel's approach may be considered to be reductionist

[2]

May 2002

  7
(a)

From the study into intergroup discrimination by Tajfel, explain the difference between an in-group and an out-group. 

   
[2]

(b)

Outline one finding from the first experiment into intergroup discrimination by Tajfel.   

May 2003

[2]

January 2004

  9

From the study by Tajfel, outline what is meant by the term 'intergroup discrimination'.

 
[2]

May 2004

May 2005

(b) Suggest two reasons why it would be difficult to generalise from this sample.

[2]

January 2006

May 2006

[2]

January 2007