Individual characteristics, early adolescent peer affiliations, and school dropout: an examination of aggressive and popular group types

Individual characteristics (i.e., teacher-rated aggression and popularity) and peer group membership type in 7th grade was examined in relation to school dropout. Peer group type was characterized according to the proportion of group members who were high on teacher-rated aggression and popularity. Both aggressive and popular group types were linked to dropping out. Being a member of an aggressive group was associated with increased rates of dropout for aggressive, but not nonaggressive, youth. Membership in popular (i.e., majority of members were popular) and zero-popular (i.e., no popular members) groups was linked to dropping out, while membership in a nonpopular group (i.e., a few popular members) appeared to be protective for aggressive youth. Both popular and nonpopular youth who affiliated with aggressive peers had elevated rates of school dropout. All aggressive participants who were socially isolated dropped out, while nonaggressive youth who were socially isolated tended to complete school.     

Different forms of aggression among inner-city African-American children: Gender, configurations, and school social networks

Using narrative reports of peer conflicts among a sample of African-American children and adolescents from inner-city schools, this study investigated the development and social functions of four types of aggressive behaviors: social, direct relational, physical, and verbal aggression. A total of 489 participants in grades 1, 4, and 7 were interviewed (220 boys and 269 girls). Results showed that low levels of social aggression and high levels of physical aggression were reported in peer conflicts. Gender differences on social, direct relational, and physical aggression were primarily observed in the comparisons of same-gender conflicts at grade 7. Distinct configurations were identified across different forms of aggression. Boys with configurations of physical and/or verbal aggression had higher levels of school social network centrality than non-aggressive boys. Girls with configurations of social and/or direct relational aggression showed relatively higher levels of network centrality than non-aggressive girls.     

Direct and indirect intergroup friendship effects: testing the moderating role of the affective-cognitive bases of prejudice

Direct friendship with outgroup members and the knowledge of ingroup-outgroup friendships (indirect friendship) can both reduce outgroup prejudice. Three correlational studies (Ns = 338, 141, and 798) tested the moderating role of the affective-cognitive bases of prejudice, assessing whether the size of the friendship- prejudice relationship depends on the extent to which emotions (vs. thoughts) are relevant to the prejudiced attitudes at stake. In Study 1, direct friendship effects were larger with outgroups generating stronger affective responding than with outgroups generating stronger cognitive responding, whereas indirect friendship effects were larger with cognitive than with affective outgroups. Study 2 detected a similar pattern but with prejudice basis assessed in terms of individual differences. Study 3 replicated Study 2's indirect friendship-cognitive basis moderation in a context of historically polarized intergroup relations and on two new outcome variables, intergroup trust and negative action tendencies.     

Cross-Community Contact, Perceived Status Differences, and Intergroup Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The Mediating Roles of Individual-level versus Group-level Threats and the Moderating Role of Social Identification

We tested a model which examined the relationship between contact quantity and quality, relative ingroup status, and intergroup attitudes in Northern Ireland. Intergroup anxiety was considered an individual-level mediator and realistic and symbolic threat as group-level mediators in the model. We examined the idea that the strength of ingroup identification moderates the predictive power of individual- versus group-level variables. Both contact and relative ingroup status predicted anxiety and perceived threats to the ingroup, which were significant mediators in the model. Our results also suggest that while anxiety predicts attitudes for low but not high identifiers, symbolic threats to the ingroup are more important for high than for low identifiers. There was also some evidence indicating that status perceptions moderate contact effects. We discuss these results in terms of their implications for intergroup relations in Northern Ireland.     

Predicting aggressive patterns in girls and boys: A developmental study

The aim of this multimethod, longitudinal study was to examine similarities and differences in aggressive expression and prediction among school-aged boys and girls. The primary research sample involved 174 children (93 females, 81 males). They were in the fourth grade at the beginning of the study, and the fifth grade at its conclusion. Embedded in the primary sample was a subgroup of 20 children identified as being highly aggressive (ten males, ten females), and a subgroup of 20 matched control children. The research measures included teachers' ratings of aggressive behavior, peer-nominations/reports of prior conflicts, individual interviews/self-ratings, and extensive behavioral observations. Analyses of the concurrent relations among measures pointed to a “public” cluster of measures (including peer-nominations, behaviors, and teacher ratings) and relatively “private” measures (ie, subjects' self-evaluations). In the primary sample, significant developmental trends were detected in the teacher ratings with increasing gender differentiation as children grew older. Few gender differences were observed in the high-aggressive subgroup, but the aggressive and the matched control groups differed on virtually all comparisons. Gender differences in predictability were a function of risk status, with high-aggressive girls showing as much stability as high-aggressive boys.     

Social Representations of Multiculturalism: A Faceted Analysis

This paper reports a study that examines how Australians are responding to the policy of multiculturalism. The aim of the study was to define different social representations of the policy. Multiple scalogram analysis (MSA) yielded 3 facets of social representations of multiculturalism (active/passive, substantial/minimal, and threat/benefit). Using these facets, subjects were categorized into social representation groups. The results illustrate the methodological utility of using facet theory techniques to study social representations.     

Is Searching for Meaning in Life Associated With Reduced Subjective Well-Being? Confirmation and Possible Moderators

Meaning in life has been identified as an important element of well-being. Recently attention has been directed to examining the differences between having meaning in life and searching for meaning in life. Theory has speculated that if an individual is searching for meaning in life, he/she may be distressed. Researchers of late have begun to focus on the process of searching for meaning in life to gain a better understanding of the individual differences which may exist. Interest has also been directed towards exploring whether any moderators of the possible negative effects of the searching process may exist. This research investigated the hypothesised negative link between high levels of searching for meaning in life and subjective well-being and the positive moderating effects of presence of meaning in life while also exploring the influence of the demographic variables which were treated as control variables. From an exploratory stance further analysis examined the hypothesised positive moderating effects of self-actualisation, self-efficacy and achievement motives on the relationship between searching for meaning and subjective well-being. One study (n?=?500) was conducted to assess the hypothesized relationships. The study confirmed the negative relationship between high levels of searching for meaning in life and subjective well-being and positive moderating effects that presence of meaning in life and self-actualisation have on happiness scores when individuals are searching for meaning in life. Self-efficacy and achievement motives were shown to have no significant moderating effects on searching for meaning in life and subjective wellbeing. Overall the results suggest that individuals who record high levels of searching for meaning in life are protected from the negative outcomes of this process by holding high levels of presence of meaning in life and self-actualisation.     

It's never too late for ‘us’ to meet ‘them’: Prior intergroup friendships moderate the impact of later intergroup friendships in educational settings

Background. In this paper, we focused on mixing in educational settings between members of Catholic and Protestant ethnoreligious groups in Northern Ireland. Aims. In Study 1, we examined whether opportunities for contact at home and at university were associated with greater actual out‐group friendships, and whether this friendship was associated with a reduction in prejudice. We also assessed whether the impact of out‐group friendships at university was moderated by experience of out‐group friendships outside university, such that the prejudice‐reducing effect of university friendships was stronger for those with fewer friendships at home. In Study 2, we assessed opportunities for contact and actual out‐group friendships at prior stages of the educational system and their relationship with prejudice. Sample(s). In both studies, our participants were students at universities in Northern Ireland (Study 1 N= 304 and Study 2 N= 157). Methods. We analysed the data using multiple regression and structural equation modelling. Results. First, opportunities for contact were positively associated with self‐reported out‐group friendships in all domains and stages of the educational system. Second, having more out‐group friends was associated with reduced prejudice. Finally, the relationship between out‐group friendships and current levels of prejudice was moderated by prior levels of out‐group friendships (at home in Study 1; and at secondary and primary school in Study 2). Conclusions. Contact, in the form of out‐group friendships, was more powerful when it was a novel feature in a person's life. We discuss these findings in terms of the impact of mixing in educational contexts, especially in Northern Ireland, and outline suggestions for future research.     

Prejudiced or not? Hidden sectarianism among students in Northern Ireland

The authors developed a new measure of implicit prejudices of students in Northern Ireland, which they derived from a study by G. Haddock, M. Zanna, and V. M. Esses (1993). Using two student surveys, the authors modified and tested the new implicit prejudice measure, which was based on a "Budget Survey." The present study's results indicate that the measure is valid and useful in the student context. Investigators can easily adapt the measure to groups other than students in Northern Ireland, and it may hence be useful for the future investigation of hidden prejudice in a society that experiences low-level ethnopolitical conflict.