Donald B. Rosenthal

Community status as a dimension of local decision-making.

erence group support are consistent with previous research on a variety of samples. Positive reference group support influences both favorable attitudes and actions toward the attitude object. The attitudes and actions were also measured within the methodological specifications that have been found to result in modest positive correlations. The most effective measurement technique was used and the data on attitudes and actions were collected in situations which occur within the common behavioral context of the subjects. Additional studies in a variety of research settings that meet these conditions are likely to result in similar patterns of relationships.29 In summary, one hundred eighty-nin( college students were studied to explore the paired relationships among perceived refer ence group support, racial attitudes an( overt behavior, and to explore how well the obtained data fit each of four three-variablb theoretical models suggested by past research and speculation. Using Gamma as a pro portional-reduction-in-error measure, strong positive associations were found between th4 three variables. Comparing the data to the four models, they were found to fit best the fourth model, which assumes that perceive( reference group support determines both ra cial attitudes and overt behavior but tha racial attitudes are a partially independen determinant of overt behavior. 29 Partial support for the original findings is in an unpublished replication study at a Southern university. Although the mean scores for perceived reference group support and racial attitudes were lower, the same pattern of relationships was found.