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The Dynamics of Opinion Formation

Authors: Harold B. Gerard; Ruben Orive;

The Dynamics of Opinion Formation

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the informational social comparison within a framework of opinion formation in which an opinion is conceived of as a preparatory set for action by the person (P) toward an object or issue(X). When P anticipates transaction with X, an opinion-forming imperative is induced in P to reduce ambivalence he or she may have toward X. There are two major strategies P may use to reduce ambivalence: reduce the opinion-forming imperative and/or generate supportive information. Subsumed under the latter strategy are several avenues classified into two broad categories of information generation, nonsocial and social. The nonsocial type is a subset of avenues that leads to the generation of information directly relating to specific features of X (e.g., pro and con arguments, positive and negative features), whereas the social category of avenues—e.g., social comparison—refers to indirect information relating to X generated via referral to others. The ubiquitous process of social projection, the tendency for P to assume that others (O's) share his or her opinion, is the basis for such informational social comparison. The three-tiered conception presented in the chapter, in which informational social comparison is based on a substructure of individual opinion dynamics overlaid on goal gradient processes, offers a deeper understanding of some of the older literature and enables to derive additional implications, some which have already been tested and others that are in the process of being tested.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
23
Average
Top 10%
Average
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