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Two versions ofthe hypothesis concerning the origins ofsocial tolerance, (1) a traditional view that preadult political socialization leaves attitudinal residues which persist through adulthood and (2) a view that preadult learning is supplemented by socialization that continues into early adulthood, are tested against a lifelong openness view that attitudes are quite open to in adulthood. An change design is used, testing whether preadult attitudes persist even when individuals are exposed to new social norms in later life. Adult levels of social tolerance are influenced by both preadult and early adult attitudinal environments, supporting the persistence hypothesis, especially in its revisionist version. Microenvironment tolerance norms normally show great continuity across most individuals' life spans, minimizing the clash of adult environments with preadult socialization. In the unusual cases when the two environments do conflict, both significantly influence the individual's ultimate level of social tolerance. Persistence thus may be due both to the lasting power of early experience and to environmental continuity throughout the life span.
Miller et al. (Sat,) studied this question.