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An Agent-Based Model of Indirect Minority Influence on Social Change

The present study investigates how local majority and minority influences, in combination with an internal consistency process, affect cultural group formation and social change at a global level. We constructed an attitude updating algorithm based primarily on context/categorization–leniency contract theory. This theory postulates when, why, and how people are influenced by an ingroup majority to change an attitude (direct majority influence), by ingroup minorities to immediately change a related attitude (indirect minority influence), and eventually to change attitudes via an internal consistency process. These rules of social influence have been empirically validated in the field of social psychology. However, it is unknown how social influence processes following these rules at a local level lead to larger attitude group formation and social change (a process whereby a nascent opinion becomes the prevailing opinion) at a global level. The present study aims to fill this gap. With minimal assumptions, we implemented our social influence algorithm in an agent-based model to explore how majority and minority influences – along with internal consistency processes – each contribute to cultural group formation and social change. Our results reveal that persistently diverse attitude groups can emerge when minority and majority influences operate together; i.e., internal consistency is not a necessary condition, however it does facilitate attitudinal diversity and maintains it longer. Furthermore, even in the face of the direct majority influence, social change can occur via the indirect minority influence process when combined with internal consistency. We start here with a minimal model, but discuss directions for future expansions. Theoretical and Empirical Foundations Social change is the process whereby a society adopts a new belief 1 which eventually becomes accepted as a norm. Diverse subpopulations are often seen as challengers to social stability and frequent catalysts of social change (Moscovici, 1976). Social psychologists have well-documented why, how, and when people can be influenced by such subpopulations. Furthermore, there are various theories on how the minority influence process can lead to social change (Mucchi-Faina, Pacilli & Pagliaro 2010); but little concrete research has been done to validate these postulates. A primary difficulty lies in the micro/macro differences in the phenomena: social change 1 In this paper we use the terms 'belief', 'attitude', 'idea', 'opinion', etc. interchangeably to refer to individuals' epistemic relationship to an issue or topic. happens at the level of society, whereas the minority influence process happens at the interpersonal and intra-individual levels. The present study aims to clearly establish the link between the minority influence process at a local level and social change at a global level by using an agent-based model. The agent-based model fosters examining cross-level links between agents’ local behavioral rules and their generated global patterns. The model is primarily based on context/categorization–leniency contract (CCLC) theory (Crano 2010), a theory of majority and minority influences in the field of social psychology.