The role of perceived ingroup norms about intergroup contact in intergroup friendship effects

While intergroup contacts and social norms both have important roles in regulating intergroup relations, their effects on intergroup outcomes have mostly been examined independently from each other. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore the role of perceived ingroup norms about intergroup contact in the relationships between both direct and extended intergroup friendships and positive and negative outgroup orientations. To provide a more comprehensive normative perspective of intergroup contact, we tested for both cross-sectional and longitudinal, as well as moderation and mediation effects of perceived peer, parental, and school contact norms. The research was carried out in two waves on a sample of 1,128 majority and minority adolescents from four multiethnic communities in the Republic of Croatia. The results indicated that all three types of perceived ingroup contact norms exclusively mediate the cross-sectional, but not longitudinal, relationships between both forms of friendships and positive and negative outgroup orientations, highlighting the importance and consistency of perceived parental and school normative influences.