TY - JOUR
T1 - Social networks and college drinking
T2 - Probing processes of social influence and selection
AU - Reifman, Alan
AU - Watson, Wendy K.
AU - McCourt, Andrea
PY - 2006/6
Y1 - 2006/6
N2 - This study used a three-wave panel design (N = 119 complete cases for all waves) to test for social influence and selection in the relation of college students' heavy drinking and that of their social networks. Evidence emerged for both social influence and selection, leading the authors to probe more specialized issues related to each. Results regarding social influence revealed, further, that greater presence in the network of individuals that the focal respondent considered "drinking buddies" was predictive of one's own later drinking, controlling for potential confounds. Network demographic characteristics associated with a "risky" (i.e., heavy-drinking) network also were documented. An additional finding, important for selection, was that wave-to-wave change in average network drinking appeared to result primarily from network members with different drinking levels being added to and dropped from the network. Findings are discussed in the context of the recent renaissance in social-network research.
AB - This study used a three-wave panel design (N = 119 complete cases for all waves) to test for social influence and selection in the relation of college students' heavy drinking and that of their social networks. Evidence emerged for both social influence and selection, leading the authors to probe more specialized issues related to each. Results regarding social influence revealed, further, that greater presence in the network of individuals that the focal respondent considered "drinking buddies" was predictive of one's own later drinking, controlling for potential confounds. Network demographic characteristics associated with a "risky" (i.e., heavy-drinking) network also were documented. An additional finding, important for selection, was that wave-to-wave change in average network drinking appeared to result primarily from network members with different drinking levels being added to and dropped from the network. Findings are discussed in the context of the recent renaissance in social-network research.
KW - College student drinking
KW - Selection
KW - Social influence
KW - Social networks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33646426384&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0146167206286219
DO - 10.1177/0146167206286219
M3 - Article
C2 - 16648206
AN - SCOPUS:33646426384
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 32
SP - 820
EP - 832
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 6
ER -