The influence of family and peer socialization on adolescent beliefs about intergroup relations

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Authors
Cross, Jennifer R.
Advisor
Fletcher, Kathryn L.
Issue Date
2008
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (Ph. D.)
Department
Department of Educational Psychology
Other Identifiers
Abstract

Adolescents (N=516) in a rural Midwest high school, grades 9-12, indicated the crowds to which they belong from a list of 10 crowds specified by 4 classes in the school (e.g., Jocks, Emo, Farmers, Smart Kids/Nerds), along with the crowd to which they belong "more than any other." Most of the students (76%) claimed to belong to more than one crowd. Two-step cluster analysis was used to identify patterns of crowd membership, resulting in 8 clusters of distinct, heterogeneous composition. Students were compared on S. E. Paulson's (1994) parenting scale and on J. T. Jost and E. P. Thompson's (2000) social dominance orientation scale. SDO differed significantly among the males in the different crowd clusters, but not the females. Male members of clusters with a majority of members belonging in the Smart Kids/Nerd crowd or who considered themselves "Just Normal" had lower SDO scores than members of clusters with few or no members in the Smart Kids/Nerd crowd. Both mother's and father's responsiveness significantly predicted adolescent's SDO scores after controlling for gender, which was higher among males than females in this adolescent sample. In combination, mother's and father's responsiveness and demandingness explained 12% of the variance in SDO scores. Adolescents who perceived their parents as more responsive had lower SDO scores than adolescents with less responsive parents, but parent responsiveness and demandingness were not related to crowd cluster membership.