We know that, in general, people tend to share similar world views of other individuals around them -- a classic principle known as homophily. Yet, we know surprisingly little about the effects of network dynamics beyond individuals within a specific organizational context. As a case in point, this research project uses advanced statistical and computational methods to analyze network data regarding ties among and between individuals. Of course, people might hold views or make choices independent of their ties to other members in the same group or organization. Alternatively, individuals might share views with their peers. In this latter case, shared perspectives may simply reflect classic homophily (aka selection bias), or true peer influence channeled by the new network ties developed with peers. The research focuses (a) on the degree to which organizations or normative entities recruit and/or influence people's choices and (b) on ways in which this creates broader effects beyond organizational boundaries.
Broader Impacts Until recently, the needed fine-grained data and analytical techniques were not available to answer these questions empirically. Findings from this research have the potential to advance our understanding of group processes generally. Findings may be of interest to a variety of stakeholders, including public officials, the media, the business community, and the general public. In addition, findings from this study have the potential to advance social science methodologically and provide valuable quantitative methodological training opportunities for students.
