Social judgment theory based model on opinion formation, polarization and evolution

H.F. Chau, C.Y. Wong, F.K. Chow and Chi-Hang Fred Fung

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2014, vol. 415, issue C, 133-140

Abstract: The dynamical origin of opinion polarization in the real world is an interesting topic that physical scientists may help to understand. To properly model the dynamics, the theory must be fully compatible with findings by social psychologists on microscopic opinion change. Here we introduce a generic model of opinion formation with homogeneous agents based on the well-known social judgment theory in social psychology by extending a similar model proposed by Jager and Amblard. The agents’ opinions will eventually cluster around extreme and/or moderate opinions forming three phases in a two-dimensional parameter space that describes the microscopic opinion response of the agents. The dynamics of this model can be qualitatively understood by mean-field analysis. More importantly, first-order phase transition in opinion distribution is observed by evolving the system under a slow change in the system parameters, showing that punctuated equilibria in public opinion can occur even in a fully connected social network.

Keywords: Mean field theory; Opinion dynamics; Phase transition; Punctuated equilibrium in social science; Social judgment theory; Sociophysics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:415:y:2014:i:c:p:133-140

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2014.07.082

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