Social norms in general have an important role in the regulation of intergroup relations. However, the effects of one specific type of social norms-in-group norms about intergroup contact-have not yet been extensively studied, especially among groups of different status or in different intergroup contexts. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of three types of contact norms (peer, parental and school) on four intergroup outcomes (ingroup bias, social distance, tendency to discriminate, prosocial behaviour towards the outgroup) among ethnic majority and minority adolescents from four different intergroup contexts of the Republic of Croatia, as well as to test for moderating effects of age, social status and intergroup context in the strength of these effects. The research was carried out on a sample of 1440 elementary and high school students, members of Croatian majority, and Serbian, Hungarian, Czech, and Italian minority. The results indicated that although all three types of norms predict most of the intergroup outcomes, their relative importance depends on the specific type of intergroup outcome (attitudinal or behavioural), group social status (majority or minority), intergroup context (history of a recent intergroup conflict or not), and for peer norms on the age of the adolescent.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the reciprocal longitudinal associations between different measures of direct and extended intergroup contact and various intergroup outcomes among majority and minority adolescents from four intergroup contexts in the Republic of Croatia. The research was carried out in two waves on a sample of 1,150 elementary and high school students, members of Croatian majority, and Serbian, Hungarian, Czech, and Italian minority. Cross-lagged path analysis revealed that direct contacts predict less social distance and more prosocial behavior, while extended contacts predict lower ingroup bias over time. However, we found even more effects in the reversed temporal direction. Lower initial bias and social distance, as well as greater prosocial behavior predicted more direct and extended contacts over time. Furthermore, none of the examined longitudinal associations differed between majority and minority members or across the four intergroup contexts.

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