{"pk":26957,"title":"Opinion Cascades and Echo-Chambers in Online Networks:\nA Proof of Concept Agent-Based Model","subtitle":null,"abstract":"In online networks, the polarization of opinions (e.g.,\nregarding presidential elections or referenda) has been\nassociated with the creation of “echo-chambers” of like-\nminded peers, secluded from those of contrary viewpoints.\nPrevious work has commonly attributed such phenomena to\nself-regarding preferences (e.g., confirmation bias), individual\ndifferences, and the pre-dispositions of users, with clusters\nforming over repeated interactions.\nThe present work provides a proof of concept Agent-Based\nModel that demonstrates online networks are susceptible to\necho-chambers from a single opinion cascade, due to the\nspatiotemporal order induced by lateral transmission. This\nsusceptibility is found to vary as a function of degree of\ninterconnectivity and opinion strength. Critically, such effects\nare found despite globally proportionate levels of opinions,\nequally rational agents (i.e. absent conformity, confirmation\nbias or pre-disposition architecture), and prior to cyclical\ninteractions.\nThe assumptions and implications of this work, including the\nvalue of Agent-Based Modelling to cognitive psychology, are\ndiscussed.","language":"eng","license":{"name":"","short_name":"","text":null,"url":""},"keywords":[{"word":"Information cascades; opinion dynamics; belief\nupdating; Agent-Based Models"}],"section":"Talks: Papers","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m97p67t","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Toby","middle_name":"D.","last_name":"Pilditch","name_suffix":"","institution":"University College London","department":""}],"date_submitted":null,"date_accepted":null,"date_published":"2017-01-01T18:00:00Z","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/cognitivesciencesociety/article/26957/galley/16593/download/"}]}