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RACE AND ACADEMIC STATUS AS DETERMINANTS OF FRIENDSHIP FORMATION: A FIELD STUDY
Author(s) -
Bochner Stephen,
ORR Fred E.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/00207597908246710
Subject(s) - friendship , psychology , race (biology) , social psychology , graduate students , salient , interpersonal communication , milgram experiment , developmental psychology , gender studies , sociology , pedagogy , artificial intelligence , computer science , obedience
Milgram's “small world” method was modified to trace interpersonal bonds among members of a university International House containing 154 male and female, graduate and undergraduate, and Australian and Overseas students. Sixteen residents, balanced for race, academic status and sex, served as starters for chain booklets circulating through the House from friend to friend. Social networks were inferred from the circulation pattern of the booklets. It was predicted that both race similarity and academic status congruence would contribute to affiliation, but that academic status would be a more salient determinant in the undergraduate condition, whereas race would be more salient in the graduate group. Fifteen chains progressed beyond their respective starters, and 111 transactions generated by 77 different individuals (or 50% of all the residents) were recorded. The data were in accord with all theoretical expectations.