Developmental Dynamics of Intergroup Contact and Intergroup Attitudes: Long-Term Effects in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Ralf Wölfer; Katharina Schmid; Miles Hewstone; Maarten van Zalk

doi:10.1111/cdev.12598

journal article Sep 01, 2016

Developmental Dynamics of Intergroup Contact and Intergroup Attitudes: Long-Term Effects in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Ralf Wölfer Katharina Schmid Miles Hewstone Maarten van Zalk

Child Development Vol. 87 No. 5 pp. 1466-1478 · Oxford University Press (OUP)

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Abstract

Abstract
Intergroup contact represents a powerful way to improve intergroup attitudes and to overcome prejudice and discrimination. However, long-term effects of intergroup contact that consider social network dynamics have rarely been studied at a young age. Study 1 validated an optimized social network approach to investigate intergroup contact (N = 6,457; Mage = 14.91 years). Study 2 explored the developmental trajectories of intergroup contact by applying this validated network approach in a cross-sequential design (four-cohort–four-wave; N = 3,815; 13–26 years). Accelerated growth curve models showed that contact predicts the development of attitudes in adolescence, whereas acquired attitudes buffer against decreasing contact in adulthood. Findings highlight the potential of social network analysis and the developmental importance of early intergroup contact experiences.

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Metrics

103

Citations

46

References

Details

Published: Sep 01, 2016
Vol/Issue: 87(5)
Pages: 1466-1478
License: View

Authors

University of Oxford

University of Oxford

University of Oxford

Örebro University; Utrecht University

Funding

Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research

NORFACE ERA NET Plus Migration in Europe programme

Cite This Article

Ralf Wölfer, Katharina Schmid, Miles Hewstone, et al. (2016). Developmental Dynamics of Intergroup Contact and Intergroup Attitudes: Long-Term Effects in Adolescence and Early Adulthood. Child Development, 87(5), 1466-1478. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12598

Developmental Dynamics of Intergroup Contact and Intergroup Attitudes: Long-Term Effects in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

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