Computational Social Psychology

398 Pages·2017·5.07 MB·English

by  Robin R. Vallacher

COMPUTATIONAL
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Computational Social Psychology showcases a new approach to social psychology
that enables theorists and researchers to specify social psychological processes in
terms of formal rules that can be implemented and tested using the power of
high-speed computing technology and sophisticated software. This approach
allows for previously infeasible investigations of the multidimensional nature of
human experience as it unfolds in accordance with different temporal patterns
on different timescales. In effect, the computational approach represents a redis-
covery of the themes and ambitions that launched the field over a century ago.
This book brings together social psychologists with varying topical interests
who are taking the lead in this redirection of the field. Many present formal
models that are implemented in computer simulations to test basic assumptions
and investigate the emergence of higher-order properties; others develop models
to fit the real-time evolution of people’s inner states, overt behavior, and social
interactions. Collectively, the contributions illustrate how the methods and tools
of the computational approach can investigate, and transform, the diverse land-
scape of social psychology.
Robin R. Vallacher is Professor of Psychology at Florida Atlantic University, a
Research Associate in the Center for Complex Systems, University of Warsaw,
Poland, and a Research Affiliate in the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation,
Conflict, and Complexity at Columbia University. He has been a visiting scholar
at University of Texas at Austin, University of Bern (Switzerland), Max Planck
Institute for Psychological Research (Germany), and University of Montpellier
(France). Dr. Vallacher has authored or edited seven professional texts, and has
published over 100 book chapters and journal articles on a wide range of topics
in social psychology, including self-concept, self-regulation, social judgment, close
relationships, prejudice and discrimination, sport psychology, social justice, and
intergroup conflict. In recent years, he and his colleagues have adapted concepts
and methods from the study of nonlinear dynamical systems in the natural sci-
ences to the investigation of personal, interpersonal, and societal processes.
Stephen J. Read is Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern
California, head of the social psychology area, and a Fellow of the Association
for Psychological Science and the Society for Experimental Social Psychology.
Dr. Read has edited three books and published over 100 journal articles and
book chapters on person perception, causal reasoning, attachment theory,
decision-making, use of interactive media (DVD and game) for changing risky
sexual behavior, personality, and the neurobiology of risky decision-making. He
has developed and published neural network models of person perception, causal
reasoning, cognitive dissonance, personality and motivation, and risky decision-
making. He has also worked on computational models of personality in intelligent
agents and models of the role of narrative representations in military decision-
making. Recently, he has focused on integrating work on the neurobiological
bases of risky decision-making with neural network models of the neural systems
involved in risky decision-making.
Andrzej Nowak is Professor of Psychology at Florida Atlantic University,
University of Warsaw, Poland, where he directs the Center for Complex Systems,
and Warsaw University of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is also a Fellow
at the European Center for Living Technologies, and a Research Affiliate in the
Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity at Columbia
University. Dr. Nowak has authored or edited 16 professional texts, and has pub-
lished over 100 book chapters and journal articles on a wide range of topics in social
psychology, including social influence, social change, self-concept, self-r egulation,
social judgment, sport psychology, intergroup conflict, and psychological aspects
of new media. Working with his colleagues, he has adapted concepts and methods
from the study of complex systems and nonlinear dynamics in the natural sciences
to the investigation of personal, interpersonal, and societal processes. He publishes
in psychology, physics, and interdisciplinary journals.
Frontiers of Social Psychology
Series Editors:
Arie W. Kruglanski, University of Maryland at College Park
Joseph P. Forgas, University of New South Wales
Frontiers of Social Psychology is a series of domain-specific handbooks. Each volume
provides readers with an overview of the most recent theoretical, methodological,
and practical developments in a substantive area of social psychology, in greater
depth than is possible in general social psychology handbooks. The editors and
contributors are all internationally renowned scholars whose work is at the cutting
edge of research.
Scholarly, yet accessible, the volumes in the Frontiers series are an essential resource
for senior undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, and practitioners, and are suitable
as texts in advanced courses in specific subareas of social psychology.
Published Titles
Social Metacognition, Briñol & DeMarree
Goal-Directed Behavior, Aarts & Elliot
Social Judgment and Decision Making, Krueger
Intergroup Conflicts and Their Resolution, Bar-Tal
Social Motivation, Dunning
Social Cognition, Strack & Förster
Social Psychology of Consumer Behavior, Wänke
Forthcoming Titles
For continually updated information about published and forthcoming titles in
the Frontiers of Social Psychology series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/
psychology/series/FSP

COMPUTATIONAL
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Edited by Robin R. Vallacher, Stephen J. Read,
and Andrzej Nowak
First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
 2017 Taylor & Francis
The right of Robin R. Vallacher, Stephen J. Read, and Andrzej Nowak to be
identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their
individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78
of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without
intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Vallacher, Robin R., 1946- editor. | Read, Stephen J., editor. |
Nowak, Andrzej (Andrzej Krzysztof), editor.
Title: Computational social psychology / edited by Robin R. Vallacher,
Stephen J. Read, and Andrzej Nowak.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2017. | Series: Frontiers of social
psychology | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017000667| ISBN 9781138951648 (hb : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781138951655 (pb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315173726 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Social psychology.
Classification: LCC HM1033 .C636 2017 | DDC 302—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017000667
ISBN: 978-1-138-95164-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-95165-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-17372-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
CONTENTS
List of Contributors x
Preface xii
Acknowledgments xvi
Overview 1
1 Rethinking Human Experience: The Promise of
Computational Social Psychology 3
Robin R. Vallacher, Andrzej Nowak, and Stephen J. Read
PART I
Intrapersonal Dynamics 13
2 Virtual Personalities: A Neural Network Model of
the Structure and Dynamics of Personality 15
Stephen J. Read, Vita Droutman, and Lynn C. Miller
3 Using Connectionist Models to Capture the Distinctive
Psychological Structure of Impression Formation 38
Brian M. Monroe, Tei Laine, Swati Gupta, and Ilya Farber
viii Contents
4 The Whole Elephant: Toward Psychological Integration
of the Individual as a Complex System 61
Jennifer Rose Talevich
5 Computational Modeling of Health Behavior 81
Mark G. Orr and Daniel Chen
PART II
Interpersonal Dynamics 103
6 Interaction-Dominant Dynamics, Timescale Enslavement,
and the Emergence of Social Behavior 105
Brian A. Eiler, Rachel W. Kallen, and Michael J. Richardson
7 Computational Temporal Interpersonal Emotion Systems 127
Emily A. Butler, Jinyan Guan, Andrew Predoehl,
Ernesto Brau, Kyle Simek, and Kobus Barnard
8 Mapping Co-Regulation in Social Relations through
Exploratory Topology Analysis 144
Jonathan E. Butner, Arwen A. Behrends, and Brian R. Baucom
9 Dynamics of Synchrony and Joint Action 178
Kerry L. Marsh
10 From Interaction to Synchronization in Social Relations 208
Robin R. Vallacher and Andrzej Nowak
PART III
Collective Dynamics 229
11 Simulating the Social Networks in Human Goal Striving 231
James D. Westaby and DaHee Shon
12 Computational Models of Social Influence and
Collective Behavior 258
Robert J. MacCoun
Contents ix
13 Modeling Cultural Dynamics 281
Yoshihisa Kashima, Michael Kirley, Alexander Stivala,
and Garry Robins
PART IV
Transforming Social Psychology 309
14 Models Are Stupid, and We Need More of Them 311
Paul E. Smaldino
15 Big Data in Psychological Research 332
David Serfass, Andrzej Nowak, and Ryne Sherman
16 The Future of Computational Social Psychology 349
Andrzej Nowak and Robin R. Vallacher
Index 368