Revisiting Dynamic Social Impact Theory: Extensions and Applications for Political Science

Seltzer, Nicholas; Johnson, April; Amira, Karyn

doi:10.1007/s10767-013-9163-6

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The social impact theory quantifies social influence by highlighting strength, immediacy, and number variables and translating them to denote one’s impact on the interacting group (Latané, 1981, 1996). The theory has been applied to various disciplines and contexts, including political science (e.g., Seltzer et al, 2013), communication (e.g., Latané, 1996), marketing and organizational behavior (e.g., Perez-Vega et al, 2016), social media (e.g., Chang et al, 2018), and educational settings (e.g., Smirnov & Thurner, 2017), among others. Generally speaking, there has been a consensus that interpersonal power structures and social forces impact one’s attitudes, behavior (Sandstrom, 2011; Seltzer et al, 2013), and decision-making processes during either virtual or physical interactions (Kiefer & Ryan, 2008; Smirnov & Thurner, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing peer referencing behavior during an online learning activity

Sung

2022

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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Cultivating critical thinking skills in referencing a plethora of information epitomizes the learning objectives of technology in education. However, different social influences in a classroom, such as academic prestige, friendship, and gender, may impact students’ referencing behavior. Specifically, we investigated how various factors affect pupils’ referencing of peer-generated questions during an online test-construction learning activity and perceptions. Three fifth-grade classes ( n = 75, Mage = 11.08, SD age = 0.28) participated in a two-stage mixed methods research for 12 weeks. We found significant effects of friendship and inferred task-specific ability on online referencing behavior based on the multiple regression quadratic assignment procedures, simple regressions, and two-step hierarchical linear regressions. The survey data further revealed that students considered the content of their peers' questions most frequently among a mixture of other factors influencing online referencing decisions. The implications and suggestions for instruction, future studies, and system designs involving behavior connoting intent to endorse are provided to help create meaningful, reflective, and impartial online learning spaces.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing peer referencing behavior during an online learning activity

Sung

2022

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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“…Minority attributes can be protected by social space (e.g., being relatively protected from exposure to majority viewpoints; Harton & Bourgeois, 2004) and can be particularly influential when the minority has truth on their side (Schaller & Muthukrishna, 2021). Computer simulations suggest that minorities may regain their adherents given a sufficient number of rounds of communication (Seltzer et al, 2013). Minority influence may be greatest when the viewpoint is held by a very well-connected person who is very resistant to influence (Schaller & Muthukrishna, 2021), perhaps such as Donald Trump.…”

Section: Consolidationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These simulations have replicated the results of the original simulations, supporting the emergence of clustering, correlation, consolidation, and continuing diversity using more powerful computing techniques, as well as generating new predictions (Bordogna & Albano, 2007). For example, adding motivated reasoning into the simulation illustrates that strong and well-connected sources (such as a popular politician) can have a disproportionate effect on group outcomes (Seltzer et al, 2013). Models incorporating individualism/collectivism as a cultural variable show that more collectivistic groups (operationalized by a high degree of influence and a more dense social network) may consolidate more quickly to the majority opinion, but also change more quickly and radically in response to minority opinions espoused by popular leaders (Muthukrishna & Schaller, 2020).…”

Section: Dynamic Social Impact Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…People learn norms about what people typically do by observing those in their social network (Kashima et al, 2013) and are especially likely to follow the public behaviors of those perceived to be successful (Henrich & Broesch, 2011). If they then follow those descriptive norms and act like they know what they are doing, they may eventually change their attitudes to match the behavior (Festinger, 1957; Seltzer et al, 2013). Several studies have illustrated that information that is shared—whether because it relates to a stereotype that those in the group share (Kashima, 2000; Lyons & Kashima, 2003) or is simply common knowledge (Fast et al, 2009)—has a transmission advantage because it helps establish common ground between discussants.…”

Section: Dynamic Social Impact Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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“I’ll be there with you”: Social influence and cultural emergence at the capitol on January 6.

Harton¹,

Gunderson²,

Bourgeois³

2022

Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice

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Objective: Dynamic social impact theory (DSIT; Latané, 1996a) suggests that as people influence and are influenced by others in proportion to their strength, immediacy, and number, four group-level phenomena of clustering, correlation, consolidation, and continuing diversity will emerge. The purpose of this article is to apply DSIT and its predecessor, social impact theory (SIT;Latané, 1981), as well as related research on attitude extremity to help elucidate the group processes that led to the January 6, 2021, insurrection of Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol. Method: We review and critically evaluate the evidence for these theories and then use news reports to discuss ways in which they help explain events before, during, and after the insurrection. We also discuss what the theories would suggest for preventing similar future events. Results: Social influence from a very persuasive and high immediacy communicator along with internet communication among his followers led to clusters of extremifying alternative "truths" that eventually propelled some to act on those beliefs. Conclusions: The ease of online discussion allows group processes to operate at much larger and potentially more dangerous levels than ever before. One hope for moderation may be reducing the importance of the issues involved in people's minds. Highlights and Implications• Theories that describe social influence and attitude change can help explain what happened on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters overran the Capitol building.• People who are more admired and persuasive and who seem closer to us (in that we can interact with them more easily) are likely to have increased influence. Influence will also occur to a greater extent on issues that are important, threatrelated, and emotional.• As people influence those they interact with, they can become isolated from outside viewpoints, leading them to hold their views more confidently and extremely.• Trump's attractiveness to his supporters and the ways in which he was able to communicate with them in common language over the internet led him to be particularly influential.• The supporter's ties to each other online and ability to operate in echo chambers, where others believed as they did, led to more extreme and consequential attitudes.

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“…Social impact theory suggests that people's experiences and actions are influenced by multiplicative functions of strength (factors such as intellect, wealth or the status of a person make them more or less influential), immediacy (the distance between the source and the target of influence) and a number of influences one is subjected to (how many sources of influences are out there, impacting on us-see Seltzer et al, 2013). In the age of social media, as argued by Chang et al (2018: 283), 'it is easier than ever for individuals to be influenced by the real, implied, or imagined presence or actions of others'.…”

Section: Theorizing the Technology-migration Nexus And Its Role In Trmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Stealing the fire’, 2.0 style? Technology, the pursuit of mobility, social memory and de-securitization of migration

Milivojevic

2018

Theoretical Criminology

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Technology challenges social, economic and political borders. This article analyses the role smartphones and social media play in constructing social memory (and consciousness) of bordering practices, examining predominant accounts of migration, de-securitizing and re-humanizing mobility and attaining freedom of movement. Using the case study of the Western Balkans as one of the main transit routes in Europe and building on Stefania Milan’s ‘stealing the fire’ theory, this article investigates transformation of borders from below, as migrants reclaim technology to enable safe passage and create counter-narratives of migration. They do so by contributing to the ‘digital knowledge commons’—a collaborative body of knowledge that can shift restrictive migration policies. The article highlights the importance of studying the technology–mobility nexus, and greater theoretical engagement vis-à-vis the use of technology as a tool for social change, as migration continues to play a pivotal role in political and public debates across the globe.

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Revisiting Dynamic Social Impact Theory: Extensions and Applications for Political Science

Cited by 6 publications

References 42 publications

Factors influencing peer referencing behavior during an online learning activity

Factors influencing peer referencing behavior during an online learning activity

“I’ll be there with you”: Social influence and cultural emergence at the capitol on January 6.

‘Stealing the fire’, 2.0 style? Technology, the pursuit of mobility, social memory and de-securitization of migration

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