Peer socialization was also examined as an alternate mechanism contributing to peer similarity. A direction-of-causation model, where the relationship between PSI and RSI was quantified by causal paths (14) was fitted to these data. This socialization model was virtually indistinguishable from the correlational/selection model (Δχ2=2.17 for 1 df). Both causal paths (PSI→RSI, β1=−0.68; RSI→PSI, β2=1.0) were significant (Δχ2=68.6 and 90.8 for 1 df) and similar to those reported previously (14).
