Affect, Structure, and Small Groups: A Process Model

• In Event: 538 - Section on Mathematical Sociology Paper Session. Advancements in Mathematical Theory: Group Processes and Interaction

Abstract

Small-group research has shown that behavior reliably varies in relation to group size. Small groups tend to be less centralized, exhibit more conciliatory behaviors, and express higher levels of solidarity (Carron and Spink 1995, p. 88). This work extends David Heise’s (2013) theory of interaction within groups by modeling the effect that group size has on the distribution of confirmatory behaviors. This work provides an affective explanation for the regularities observed between group size, roles, and behavior. As in Heise’s work, the actor with the greatest tension between their situational affective meaning and their transient meaning will act next (Heise 2013, p 54). The object of that action will be the group member most likely to reciprocate in a confirming manner. The group’s tendency to converge on a set of confirmatory behaviors, however, varies depending on the identity being enacted and the size of the group. Modeling 1,000 interactions in 450 virtual juries, I find that sentiment confirming actions vary with group size and composition in a manner similar to that predicted by Bales (1999). This work has implications for better understanding how culturally imported meanings and ecological factors interact to influence group performance.

Author

• Jonathan Howard Morgan, Duke University