Jane Elliot (1968) "Blue/Brown eyes experiment"

The reason behind the experiment:

• After Martin Luther King was killed, Jane Elliot wanted to explain racism and how discrimination feels like to her Third Grade class.
• So she decided to carry out The Eye Color experiment "Blue eye/Brown eye experiment"

How does this experiment relate to the Social Identity Theory?

• This study supports the Social Identity Theory
• Self Categorization (Brown-eyed students/Blue-eyed students)
• Self comparison (Blue-eyed students are better and smarter than Brown-eyed students)
• Psychological distinctiveness (The fight between the 2 students)

Conclusion

Bibliography

• http://ibguides.com/psychology/notes/evaluate-social-identity-theory-making-reference-to-relevant-studies
• http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/07/jane-elliot-and-the-blue-eyed-children-experiment/
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/synopsis.html
• http://www.markedbyteachers.com/international-baccalaureate/psychology/social-psychology.html
• http://schoolsites.leeschools.net/fmh/MichaelCHR/Shared%20Documents/IB%20PSYCH%20HL1%20and%20SL/04%20IB%20SOC%20CULT%20LEVEL/03%20IB%20Social%20Identity%20Theory%202014-2015.pdf?Mobile=1&Source=%2Ffmh%2FMichaelCHR%2F_layouts%2Fmobile%2Fview.aspx%3FList%3D094537b0-cdf9-4bea-af80-9e32f55e0330%26View%3Db526d4c2-b677-4148-b931-6e2f578e7cdf%26RootFolder%3D%252Ffmh%252FMichaelCHR%252FShared%2520Documents%252FIB%2520PSYCH%2520HL1%2520and%2520SL%252F04%2520IB%2520SOC%2520CULT%2520LEVEL%26ViewMode%3DDetail%26CurrentPage%3D1

Being a member in a group affects how you view yourself and how you treat others. SIT relevant since a social identity affected intergroup behavior

Results:

Evaluation

- When blue-eyed students were told that they were better than brown-eyed students, they became arrogant and discriminated towards brown-eyed students (calling them labels ).However they performed better academically

- Brown-eyed students became timid and complaint and they performed less academically

- When the roles were reversed and brown-eyed students were told that they are better than blue-eyed people, the same thing happened

Strength:

• Experiment was conducted in natural environment (High ecological validity)
• It is reliable as it was repeated more than 2 times with different age groups and still she got the same results

Weakness:

• Students were harmed mentally and were negatively labeled (Not ethical)

Method:

- First she gave introduction about how people should be treated the way they want to be treated.

- She told them that they can't know the feeling of discrimination unless they've been through it.

- Then she divided her class into two groups (Brown-Eyed people) (Brown- Eyed people).

- She told her students that blue-eyed people are better and smarter than brown-eyed people, she gave privileges to blue-eyed students as they got to have extra minutes of recess.

- Brown-eyed students had to wear collars so that their eye color could be identified form distance and they weren't allowed ot play with brown-eyed students.

- The next day the roles were reversed and Brown-eyed students were told that they were better than brown-eyed students.

-The same thing happened with them.

Aim of the Study:

To emphasize the effects of discrimination and group bias on personal attribute and self-esteem.

Jane Elliot (1968) "Blue/Brown eyes experiment"