雅思阅读真题（Part 3）
罗伯斯洞穴实验：群体行为与偏见研究
本篇也叫：罗伯斯洞穴实验、罗伯斯山洞实验、强盗洞实验、谢里夫群体冲突实验、老鹰与响尾蛇实验、男孩夏令营实验
Part 3 · 考频：高频 · 最近考试：2025.5.10/2018.3.3
本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 3）《The Robbers cave study》，共 9 题，2025.5.10/2018.3.3雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。
谢里夫1956年在俄克拉何马州罗伯斯洞穴州立公园开展经典群体行为实验，将22名11至12岁男孩分成“老鹰”和“响尾蛇”两队，通过夏令营竞争与接触观察群体偏见、内群体偏好和冲突如何产生，是研究群体关系与刻板印象的著名实地研究。
A review of a famous study into group behaviour
A
Group self-centredness seems to occur the minute people are divided into groups. It doesn't matter what the group is, or on what basis it was formed, we perceive the group we belong to as being superior to other groups and we develop an 'in-group' bias.
B
Probably one of the most famous pieces of research looking at group behaviour was a field study conducted by Sherif in 1956. This study involved 22 boys aged between 11 and 12, who were divided into two groups. The groups were roughly matched in terms of sporting ability, camping experience and general popularity among their peers. Their parents were told that they were going to a three-week summer camp to see how well they would work alongside other boys when put into different teams. The parents were also told that the boys would not be allowed to be visited during that time, but would be able to go home if they wanted to. It was intended that the data for the study would be collected by participant observers.
C
At first, neither set of boys knew of the existence of the other set. They were taken to their respective campsites, which were located on a 200-acre, densely wooded area in Robbers Cave State Park, Oklahoma. The first week was spent doing a variety of activities, such as pitching tents and cooking. During this week, the two groups seemed to develop different group norms, one group being more 'tough' than the other, from which two boys went home early, as they were homesick. The groups were given a set of caps and t-shirts, and gave themselves names: the 'Eagles' and the 'Rattlers' (the latter being the tougher group).
D
At the end of the first week, they became aware of each other's existence by finding litter left by the other group or overhearing voices. Sherif noticed that already the groups had started to refer to the other group as 'them' and their group as 'us'. This marked the beginning of phase two of the experiment.
E
The groups were told that they were going to take part in a 'Grand Tournament', which involved 10 different sporting events, and they were shown the prizes for winning. The tournament was also to include in the final scores points which would be awarded for other activities, such as how tidy the cabins were kept. These scores were displayed on big scoreboards in what now became a joint hall where the two groups ate their meals together. This was necessary so the two groups would think they were on almost equal scores in the time leading up to the final event, which would increase the sense of competition. Needless to say, these scores were manipulated by the experimenters.
F
In order to check how high the levels of group self-centredness were in the groups at this time, a number of tasks were set up which involved the groups rating their own members and members of the other group. Each time group members rated the boys in their own group much better at the tasks than the other boys, even though there was no real difference between them. They were also asked to rate all others in terms of how desirable they were as friends, and 93 per cent of friendship preferences were in-group preferences.
G
When the tournament started, the first game was basketball. The group that was thought to be less tough lost the game and claimed that they had lost only because the other group were bigger and older than they were. The Eagles won the next ball game and then were said to be cheating in the tug-of-war. This resulted in visits by both groups to each other's cabins over the course of the next 24 hours, where they ripped the mosquito nets, turned over the beds and generally made a mess. The Eagles devised a new weapon in the conflict which consisted of 'rocks in socks' and so it went on. Eventually, the Eagles won the tournament (with some help from the experimenters) and it was time for phase three to begin.
H
Research has suggested that the best way to reduce group conflict is by non-competitive contact. This required two conditions: that the groups had equal status and that they had a common goal to work towards. This was exactly what Sherif engineered. There were actually seven situations organised which gave the groups equal status contact; these were things like having meals together or watching films together. The meals resulted in food fights; the films were enjoyed by both groups sitting totally apart from each other.
I
The other situations, where the groups had to work for common goals, had a much better outcome. These included raising money to go and see a film and solving problems, such as one with the water supply. The final common goal was a visit by truck to Cedar Lake to camp there before the end of the holiday. In this situation, although both groups travelled in separate trucks, another problem-solving situation arose when one of the trucks became stuck. All the boys joined in, using one of the tug-of-war ropes to help move it. At this point the group boundaries were beginning to disappear. On the final day, when they were due to return home, the boys themselves suggested that they travel in one bus and sat in friendship groups rather than as Eagles and Rattlers.
想在线练习这套卷子？进入机考练习
答案：They had approximately the same number of friends.,They received clothes that identified the group they belonged to.
原文定位：The groups were roughly matched in terms of sporting ability, camping experience and general popularity among their peers;The groups were given a set of caps and t-shirts, and gave themselves names: the 'Eagles' and the 'Rattlers
同义替换：「approximately the same number of」↔「roughly」，「friends」↔「peers」，「received clothes」↔「were given a set of caps and t-shirts」，「identified the group」↔「gave themselves names」
答案：They used a rating exercise to assess the amount of in-group bias.,They secretly altered some of the results of the tournament.
原文定位：In order to check how high the levels of group self-centredness were in the groups at this time, a number of tasks were set up which involved the groups rating their own members and members of the other group;Needless to say, these scores were manipulated by the experimenters;Eventually, the Eagles won the tournament (with some help from the experimenters)
同义替换：「used a rating exercise」↔「rating their own members and members of the other group」，「assess the amount of in-group bias」↔「check how high the levels of group self-centredness were」，「secretly altered some of the results」↔「these scores were manipulated」，「altered the tournament results」↔「won the tournament with some help from the experimenters」
答案：sporting events
原文定位：The groups were told that they were going to take part in a 'Grand Tournament', which involved 10 different sporting events, and they were shown the prizes for winning
同义替换：「range」↔「different」，「compete in」↔「take part in」
答案：scoreboards
原文定位：These scores were displayed on big scoreboards in what now became a joint hall where the two groups ate their meals together
同义替换：「used」↔「displayed on」，「dining hall」↔「a joint hall where the two groups ate their meals together」
答案：equal
原文定位：This was necessary so the two groups would think they were on almost equal scores in the time leading up to the final event, which would increase the sense of competition
同义替换：「nearly」↔「almost」，「as the tournament neared its end」↔「in the time leading up to the final event」，「were under the impression that」↔「would think」
答案：Rattlers
原文定位：When the tournament started, the first game was basketball. The group that was thought to be less tough lost the game and claimed that they had lost only because the other group were bigger and older than they were;Eventually, the Eagles won the tournament (with some help from the experimenters) and it was time for phase three to begin
同义替换：「won the first ball game and lost the second」↔「lost the first game, the Eagles won the next ball game」
答案：cheating
原文定位：The Eagles won the next ball game and then were said to be cheating in the tug-of-war
同义替换：「accusations of」↔「were said to be」，「in other games」↔「in the tug-of-war」
答案：less tough
原文定位：The group that was thought to be less tough lost the game;Eventually, the Eagles won the tournament
同义替换：「considered」↔「thought」
答案：food fights|||films|||common goal|||problem-solving situation
原文定位：The meals resulted in food fights;the films were enjoyed by both groups sitting totally apart from each other;they had a common goal to work towards;solving problems, such as one with the water supply;another problem-solving situation arose when one of the trucks became stuck
同义替换：「eating」↔「meals」，「not sitting together」↔「sitting totally apart」，「stuck truck」↔「problem-solving situation」