Adolescent attitudes not influenced by friends, says study

A study from the University of Cincinnati found no significant effects on adolescent prejudices and stereotypes from the attitudes of friends. Psychologist Harold D. Fishbein, PhD, and sociologist Neil Ritchey, PhD, administered questionnaires to 426 ninth and 11th graders at two predominantly white Catholic schools, one for males and one for females. The students answered questions that measured prejudice and stereotyping, including prejudice against those with AIDS, blacks, homosexuals, and overweight people.

The study also looked at sex-role stereotyping. Each student also listed up to five of his or her closest friends in the classroom and answered questions about closeness to each. The researchers did not find significant effects of friends' attitudes on an adolescent's prejudices or stereotypes.

Three possible reasons for the lack of influence were found. First, the basis of adolescent friendships is mainly shared activities and not discussions of prejudice or stereotyping. Another reason is the discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, and the possible influence of adolescents on one another's behavior only. A third is the relatively low level of prejudice and stereotyping in the studied group. In contrast, "people who are very prejudiced," Fishbein said, "may choose friends who have the same beliefs."

--S. Kass

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