Mathematical Models Of Attitude Change

Mathematical Models of Attitude Change, Volume 1: Change in Single Attitudes and Cognitive Structure presents the mathematical models that address the existing verbal attitude change theories, which are translated into families of mathematical models. This book discusses the two types of attitude change, namely, the attitude toward the object of the message and the attitude toward the source of the message. Organized into three parts encompassing 17 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the mathematical models of attitude change that are derived from several theories. This text then explains the empirical work designed to test selected mathematical models of attitude change. Other chapters consider the predictions made by different models, including reinforcement, information processing, social judgment, balance, dissonance, and congruity. This book discusses as well the attitude-related variable, namely, belief and belief change. The final chapter deals with models of change in hierarchical organized attitudes using alternative theories of attitude change. This book is a valuable resource for psychologists.

Two complementary mathematical models for attitude formation are considered: Starting from the model of Weidlich and Haag (1983), which assumes indirect interactions that are mediated by a mean field, a new model is proposed, which is characterized by direct pair interactions. Three types of pair interactions leading to attitude changes can be found: First, changes by some kind of avoidance behavior. Second, changes by a readiness for compromises. Third, changes by persuasion. Different types of behavior are distinguished by introducing several subpopulations. Representative solutions of the model are illustrated by computational results.

Political Science has traditionally employed empirical research and analytical resources to understand, explain and predict political phenomena. One of the long-standing criticisms against empirical modeling targets the static perspective provided by the model-invariant paradigm. In political science research, this issue has a particular relevance since political phenomena prove sophisticated degrees of context-dependency whose complexity could be hardly captured by traditional approaches. To cope with the complexity challenge, a new modeling paradigm was needed. This book is concerned with this challenge. Moreover, the book aims to reveal the power of computational modeling of political attitudes to reinforce the political methodology in facing two fundamental challenges: political culture modeling and polity modeling. The book argues that an artificial polity model as a powerful research instrument could hardly be effective without the political attitude and, by extension, the political culture computational and simulation modeling theory, experiments and practice. This book: Summarizes the state of the art in computational modeling of political attitudes, with illustrations and examples featured throughout. Explores the different approaches to computational modeling and how the complexity requirements of political science should determine the direction of research and evaluation methods. Addresses the newly emerging discipline of computational political science. Discusses modeling paradigms, agent-based modeling and simulation, and complexity-based modeling. Discusses model classes in the fundamental areas of voting behavior and decision-making, collective action, ideology and partisanship, emergence of social uprisings and civil conflict, international relations, allocation of public resources, polity and institutional function, operation, development and reform, political attitude formation and change in democratic societies. This book is ideal for students who need a conceptual and operational description of the political attitude computational modeling phases, goals and outcomes in order to understand how political attitudes could be computationally modeled and simulated. Researchers, Governmental and international policy experts will also benefit from this book.

"This book provides young scientists with tools to assist them in the practical aspects of theory construction. We take an informal journey through the cognitive heuristics, tricks of the trade, and ways of thinking that we have found to be useful in developing theories-essentially, conceptualizations-that can advance knowledge in the social sciences. This book is intended to provide the instructor with a useful source for helping students come up with ideas for research and for fine-tuning the resultant theories that emerge from such thinking. An objective of this book is to move toward a needed balance in the emphases given to theory construction and theory testing"--