Perspectives on the History, Sociology, and Mathematics of Influence Systems

Abstract

This talk will present models for the evolution of opinions, interpersonal influences, and social power in a group of individuals. I will present empirical data and mathematical models for the opinion formation process in deliberative groups, including concepts of self-weight and social power. I will then focus on groups who discuss and form opinions along sequences of judgmental, intellective, and resource allocation issues. I will show how the natural dynamical evolution of interpersonal influence structures is shaped by the psychological phenomenon of reflected appraisal. Multi-agent models and analysis results are grounded in influence networks from mathematical sociology, replicator dynamics from evolutionary games, and transactive memory systems from organization science. (Joint work with: Noah E. Friedkin, Peng Jia, and Ge Chen)