Psychology- Prejudice free essay sample

Tajfel’s procedure of the experiment involved two laboratory experiments. The subjects of the first experiment contained 64 boys, 14 and 15 year-old from a school in Bristol. The boys from each group knew each other well, since they were actually in the same houses at the school. The second experiment was similar to the first one, since 48 students also already knew each other. In terms of stereotypes and his study, Tajfel proposed that Stereotyping or putting people into groups is based on a normal cognitive; we tend to group or categories things. By the statement, he meant that we see the people in our group are just the ‘same’ with us because there are certain similarities that makes us parallel with them and there’ll be a tendency of us calling the ‘same’ people â€Å"us† and those who are different or out-group â€Å"them†. This study also has its weaknesses and strengths. One of the strengths; Laboratory experiment method, which makes him to able controlling the environment in terms of what the subjects had experienced during the test, therefore he can ensure that there are no influences that would change their behaviour later on. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychology- Prejudice or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Manipulation of the environment also makes him able to obtain replication due to its standardness in procedures. However, since all of the participants were all male, similar age and came from the same country. In terms of experiment, this study has become biased. It is difficult to decide whether it is good enough to be generalised, due to its gender, age and geographical limitations. The ecological validity is doubtful, considering the experiments were lab studies, where we can jump to an argument that this involved unusual task is held in artificial environment. In other words, the participants acted in the way they thought was demanded of them; Demand Characteristic. This experiment deals with a disruptive and anti-social, very general commons of society in explaining and understanding the causes of prejudice and discrimination. Moreover, this piece of research could be beneficial or helpful to our daily life. Nevertheless, the applications are still limited, regard to ecological validity and the gender, race and cultures.