Noah E. Friedkin

Network studies of social influence

Network analysts interested in social influence examine the social foundations for influence—the social relations that provide a basis for the alteration of an attitude or behavior by one network actor in response to another. This article contrasts two empirical accounts of social influence (structural cohesion and equivalence) and describes the social processes (e.g., identification, competition, and authority) presumed to undergird them. It then reviews mathematical models of influence processes involving networks and related statistical models used in data analysis. Particular attention is given to the “network effects” model. A number of empirical studies of social influence are reviewed. The article concludes by identifying several problems of specification, research design, and measurement and suggesting some research that would help to resolve these problems.

Social influence and opinions

In this paper we describe an approach to the relationship between a network of interpersonal influences and the content of individuals’ opinions. Our work starts with the specification of social pr...

A test of structural features of granovetter's strength of weak ties theory☆

Abstract Granovetters ‘strength of weak ties’ theory offers a satisfying approach to the study of integration in networks of face-to-face interaction consisting of multiple subgroups. The present paper tests five hypotheses of this theory in the setting of a multidisciplinary social network of biological scientists. Considerable support for the theory is indicated: the local bridges and intergroup ties in the network are disproportionately weak ties.

Structural bases of interpersonal influence in groups: a longitudinal case study

The A. examines the relationship between interpersonal power and influence during the resolution of an issue in an organization. Controlling for elementary bases of power (rewards, coercion, authority, identification, and expertise), he investigates three bases of power that arise from the structure of social networks (cohesion, similarity, and centrality). The analysis of the data on actors bases of social power, frequency of interpersonal communications, and interpersonal influences indicates that cohesion, similarity, and centrality have significant effects on issue-related influence net of the elementary power bases. The effects of the structural bases are mediated by the frequency of issue-related communication, which primary structural determinant is network cohesion.

Information flow through strong and weak ties in intraorganizational social networks

Abstract Strong and weak ties are compared in terms of their contributions to information flow about the work activity of persons in intraorganizational social networks. Strong ties are more important than weak ties in promoting information flow about activities within an organizational subsystem. Weak ties are more important than strong ties in promoting information flow about activities outside an organizational subsystem. The strength of weak ties in promoting boundary-spanning information flows lies not in their individual efficiency but in their numbers. In general, production of the highest probabilities of information flow is associated with a combination of both weak and strong ties.

Norm formation in social influence networks

Abstract I propose a mechanism of norm formation and maintenance that combines classical theory in social psychology on attitudes and social comparisons with a formal network theory of social influence. Underlying the formation of norms is the ubiquitous belief that there is a correct response for every situation and an abiding interest for persons to base their responses on these correct foundations. Given such a belief, a normative evaluation of a feeling, thought or action is likely to arise when persons perceive that their positive or negative attitudinal evaluation is shared by one or more influential others. If interpersonal agreements validate attitudes and transform attitudes into norms, then the development of a theory of norm formation may draw on extant “combinatorial” theories of consensus production that describe how shared attitudes are produced and maintained in groups. The network theory of social influence that I employ is one such combinatorial approach. An important sociological implication of this network theory is that the content of norms must be consistent with the social stratification (or more general pattern of inequality) of interpersonal influences in a group. I illustrate the theory with an analysis of Roethlisberger and Dickson’s (1939) classic observations on the Bank Wiring Observation Room.

School System Size and Performance: A Contingency Perspective

This paper contains empirical support for a new theory on the relationship between the size and performance of school systems. The theory predicts that the strength and direction of the relationship depend on the socioeconomic status (SES) of school systems. This prediction is supported with data from the California Assessment Program on both schools and districts. We find that as the SES of a school system goes up, the association between the size and performance of school systems goes from negative to positive. We also find that the negative association among low SES school systems is much stronger in magnitude than the positive association among high SES school systems. Thus, it appears that school system size has strong negative effects on performance that are eliminated, but not strongly reversed, in high SES settings.

An expected value model of social power: predictions for selected exchange networks

Abstract The paper carries forward a line of work on an expected value model of social power and illustrates the application of this model to selected networks of social exchange.

Social influence network theory : a sociological examination of small group dynamics

mathematical models. Their disciplinary affiliations have included history, anthropology, sociology, political science, business, economics, mathematics and computer science. Some have made explicit use of “social network analysis,” including many of the cutting-edge and standard works of that approach, while others have eschewed formal analysis and used “networks” as a fruitful orienting metaphor. All have in common a sophisticated and subtle approach that forcefully illuminates our complex social world. Recent books in the series Philippe Bourgois, In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio

A formal theory of social power

This paper builds on Frenchs (1956) Formal Theory of Social Power. In the theory, a populations power structure is formally related to its structure of influential communications which, in turn, is formally related to its pattern and prevalence of interpersonal agreements. The theorys predictions include the following about the members of a population: (1) the expected influence of each member in determining other members’ opinions on an issue; (2) the probability of consensus on an issue in the population or in any given subset (dyad or cluster) of the members; and (3) the probability that any given proportion of the members (e.g., a majority) will be in agreement on an issue. The theory overcomes well‐recognized limitations of Frenchs seminal effort. Its predictions rest (1) on a micro‐level process of opinion change and (2) on macro‐level variations in the pattern and strengths of the ties that comprise a power structure.