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Friendship Preferences Among German and Turkish Preadolescents
Author(s) -
Jugert Philipp,
Noack Peter,
Rutland Adam
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01528.x
Subject(s) - turkish , friendship , psychology , ethnic group , german , preference , developmental psychology , outgroup , social psychology , peer group , philosophy , linguistics , archaeology , sociology , anthropology , economics , history , microeconomics
This study examined changes in and predictors of preference for same‐ethnic friendships among German ( N = 106) and Turkish ( N = 45) preadolescents ( M age = 10.4 years) during their 1st year in an ethnically heterogeneous school. Drawing on the contact hypothesis, it examined the relation between children’s attitudes and their preference for same‐ethnic friendship. Among both German and Turkish children, the latter decreased over time and its variability was predicted by intergroup attitudes and peer norms about cross‐ethnic friendships. Outgroup orientation and perceived contact conditions predicted only German children’s preference for same‐ethnic friendships. Over time, classroom identification increasingly reduced preference for same‐ethnic friendships among Turkish children. The results showed that interindividual attitudes were related to children’s level of intergroup contact.