Dynamics of outgroup attitudes in peer networks: Testing the effects of socialization, contact, and selection

Intergroup attitudes can be positively influenced by peers, but it remains unclear whether this occurs
primarily through ingroup socialization or outgroup contact. Prior studies concurrently exploring both
pathways have yielded mixed results. This paper introduces two key factors, ingroup identification and
interpersonal dislike, as potentially moderating or counteracting the effects of these processes. We
incorporate these factors into a comprehensive statistical model that accounts for various mechanisms
associated with outgroup attitude change, including peer influence, ingroup and outgroup contact,
ethnic and attitudinal homophily in friendship selection, and general relationship formation dynamics.
Using stochastic actor-oriented modeling (SAOM), we analyze longitudinal data on coevolving
networks and attitudes among 380 German secondary school adolescents. Our findings show that
both outgroup contact among German adolescents and ingroup socialization significantly influence
outgroup attitude change. However, interpersonal dislike and ingroup identification do not play a
meaningful role in these processes.