Behavioral Sociology and Social Dynamics

The tension between a person's own needs and what is considered morally right. This constant struggle is a key aspect of human decision-making.

The ability to understand and share another person's feelings, which plays a crucial role in moral decision-making.

The ability to cooperate effectively and share resources, crucial for survival in hunter-gatherer societies.

Rules that govern how individuals interact within a group, promoting cooperation and stability.

The capacity for both kindness and violence, a defining characteristic of human nature.

The principle of exchanging favors with those who help us, a fundamental aspect of social life.

Communication without words, relying on cues like eye contact or facial expressions. Essential before language emerged.

Groups of people who share similar traits and tend to associate with each other, forming a sense of belonging and identifying those who are not part of the group.

The process by which cultural traits spread within a society.

A computer simulation that models how cultural traits change over time.

The tendency for people to become more similar in their cultural traits due to frequent interactions.

The emergence of distinct cultural regions with different and contrasting traits.

The spontaneous and unplanned actions of individuals in a group, often without a clear shared goal.

The idea that success in cultural markets is often influenced by social factors rather than solely by the quality of the product.

The unpredictable nature of cultural markets, driven by the complex interplay of social forces.

A model that suggests that cultural norms and traits can persist even with strong social influence.

An explanation that focuses on individual motivations and decisions in understanding social phenomena.

A causal explanation must include a mechanism that links cause and effect. It's not enough to just say one thing caused another; you need to explain how.

Explanations can be supported by observable facts, general theories, or by refuting alternative explanations.

Explanations based on rational-choice theory face challenges due to the lack of a general mechanism for explaining rationality. They can predict behavior without fully understanding the underlying reasons.

A framework that analyzes societal phenomena by looking at how individual actors interact within larger contexts.

An explanation that focuses on how individual motives and actions are shaped by social contexts, derived from the works of Weber and Simmel.

A situation where one party in a transaction has more information than the other, potentially leading to unfair outcomes.

Explores the relationship between sociology and behaviorism, specifically how behaviorism can be applied to sociological research.

A measure representing an individual's likelihood to protest, influenced by factors like personal circumstances and government legitimacy.

A factor in the model that represents the public's acceptance of the government. Higher legitimacy reduces the chance of protests.

The distance an agent can see within the simulation, affecting their awareness of police and other protesting individuals.

The point at which an individual decides to protest based on their anger level, perceived legitimacy, and the perceived risk of arrest.

The influence of other individuals' decisions on one's own. Observing others protesting can increase the likelihood of joining the protest.

A type of decision-making process where individuals adapt their choices based on their environment and experiences.

A method using computer simulations to model complex systems, especially social systems, to understand how individual agents interact and influence collective outcomes.

This model explores how individuals might rebel against a central authority based on factors like legitimacy, repression, and the strength of peacekeeping forces.

This model investigates how violence can erupt between groups, considering factors like group size, grievances, and the presence of external actors.

A mathematical framework that analyzes collective behavior by considering the individual decisions of actors who face a choice between two options, where the costs and benefits are influenced by how many others choose each option.

The idea that the costs and benefits of choosing one option over another change depending on how many other individuals choose the same option.

The tendency for traditional sociological theories to focus on established norms and values while overlooking behaviors that don't fit those frameworks.

The argument that understanding individual motivations and preferences is not enough to explain collective behavior, and that models considering variations and aggregation of preferences are crucial.

The number or percentage of people who must make a certain decision before a given individual will make the same decision.

Individuals with lower thresholds are more likely to take action, even if fewer others are doing so. They perceive high benefits and low costs.

Individuals with higher thresholds are less likely to take action, requiring a greater number of others to do so first. They perceive low or negative benefits and high costs.

Thresholds can be influenced by how connected we feel to others and our perception of the benefits and costs of taking action.

The initial distribution of thresholds among a group determines the final outcome of a collective decision - how many individuals ultimately take action.

The stability of an equilibrium outcome results from the interactions between individuals and their thresholds. It's how likely the outcome is to change.

Social structure, like networks of friends and family, influences the stability of equilibrium by shaping the flow of information and individual choices.

Threshold models explain why collective outcomes can seem different from individual preferences. What seems illogical at the individual level can be understandable at the collective level.