Delineating Cultural Models

Abstract

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S)Air Force SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER AFRL-RH-WP-TR-2011-0050 DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENTDistribution A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES88ABW/PA cleared on 05 May 2011, 88ABW-2011-2557. ABSTRACTThis research describes research conducted in order to develop an understanding of the cognitive factors that influence cultural models of belief. We evaluated the current state of the art in opinion dynamics research, and provided a brief review of the main issues connecting memory representation and representation in opinion dynamics. We also identified an extended bibliography covering representations and functions in cultural modeling research, and a database of news headlines highlighting potential real-world sources of cultural beliefs in conflict.Finally, we present two research articles that describe a new simulation approach to opinion dynamics that use belief spaces rather than simple single-value attitudes to represent the knowledge being exchanged. SUMMARYThis report describes the results of one phase of a research effort aimed at delineating the representations, constraints, and other aspects of cultural models. The report includes a basic description of the research effort, an in-depth review regarding research on opinion dynamics, a bibliography of collected research on cultural and belief modeling, a set of new article headlines illustrating situations where cultural beliefs appear to be in conflict, and two papers describing simulation work conducted under this effort.

Delineating Cultural Models: Extending the Cultural Mixture Model

“…Our research was motivated by the goal of extending Cultural Mixture Modeling (CMM); Mueller & Veinott, 2008;Mueller, 2010), which attempts to understand both agreement and subgroups of disagreement that exist within a culture. CMM itself is built on simpler methods for identifying consensus developed in Cultural Consensus Theory (CCT); Romney, Weller, and Batchelder, 1986).…”