Dynamic Social Impact: Self-Organization in Interacting Groups

动态社会影响理论将社会视为一个相互作用的复杂的非线性系统，探索个体的经验和社会影响如何导致所有形式的文化(包括科学知识)的区域分化和时间演变。通过使用动态社会影响理论(一种简单但非常通用的社会影响模型)，可以通过计算机模拟来模拟由社会影响过程的交互、互惠和递归操作导致的空间分布的个体的属性(例如，信念、实践、理论)的变化。令人惊讶的是，可以预测这些微观进程的运作将出现几个宏观层面的现象，包括多样性减少的合并、分成空间上连贯的分组、在不同问题上最初不相关的立场的相互关联，以及往往是持续的多样性，因为少数群体集群保护彼此不受外部影响。对在电子邮件网络、演讲厅和宿舍互动的人进行的实证研究将检验这些预测，并将其扩展到新的领域。这项研究将有助于理解个体心理过程和社会结果之间的复杂交互作用，这些群体的规模从家庭和其他小团体到组织、社区、科学学科，甚至国家。这项研究中提出的概念和程序应该适用于理解地区和学科在习俗、价值观和信仰方面的差异的历史发展，无论是建设性的还是不适应的，以及诸如时尚、社会运动、消费者信心、民族特征和公众舆论等难以捉摸的现象。这项研究还将对预测工作组和社会中越来越多地使用电子通信的积极和消极后果产生影响。

Conceiving society as a complex nonlinear system of interacting individuals, dynamic social impact theory explores how individual experience and social influence lead to the regional differentiation and temporal evolution of all forms of culture (including scientific knowledge). Changes in the attributes (e.g. beliefs, practices, theories) of spatially-distributed individuals resulting from the interactive, reciprocal, and recursive operation of social influence processes can be modeled through computer simulation, using dynamic social impact theory, a simple but very general model of social influence. Surprisingly, several macro-level phenomena can be predicted to emerge from the operation of these micro-level processes, including a consolidation with reduced diversity, a clustering into spatially coherent subgroups, a correlation of initially unrelated positions on different issues, and often, a continuing diversity, as minority clusters protect each other from exposure to outside influence. Empirical research with people interacting in electronic mail networks, in lecture halls, and in dormitories will test these predictions and extend them to new arenas. This research will contribute to understanding the complex interaction between individual psychological processes and social outcomes in groups ranging in size from families and other small groups to organizations, communities, scientific disciplines, and even nations. Concepts and procedures developed in this research should be applicable to understanding the historical development of regional and disciplinary differences in customs, values, and beliefs, both constructive and maladaptive, and such elusive phenomena as fads, social movements, consumer confidence, national character, and public opinion. The research will also have implications for predicting both positive and negative consequences of the increasing use of electronic communication in workgroups and society.