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Preference for Same‐ Versus Cross‐Sex Friendships 1
Author(s) -
Baumgarte Roger,
Nelson Donna Webster
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00465.x
Subject(s) - closeness , friendship , preference , psychology , social psychology , perception , same sex , developmental psychology , statistics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , neuroscience
How is preferring same‐ vs. cross‐sex friendships related to one's perceptions of these friendships? In Phase 1, college students ( N = 122) listed qualities they valued in their same‐ and cross‐sex friends. In Phase 2, survey items constructed from the responses were administered to 231 students who indicated a preference for same‐ vs. cross‐sex friendship. Those who reported a preference for opposite‐sex friends rated these friendships as higher in closeness, trust, caring, having common interests, and providing narcissistic benefits, compared to those who reported a preference for same‐sex friends. Results demonstrate that gender differences often associated with close friendships are greatly attenuated and sometimes reversed when preference for same‐ vs. cross‐sex friendship is included as a moderating variable.