Michael W. Macy - Böcker

This volume offers a diverse array of chapters. Areas covered consist of an extension and clarification of theoretical research on social networks; the emergence of trust and cooperative norms under conditions of uncertainty; social identity processes; and the emergent processes in discussion groups and teams.

"Advances in Group Processes" publishes theoretical analyses, reviews, and theory-based empirical chapters on group phenomena. The series adopts a broad conception of 'group processes', including work on groups ranging from the very small to the very large, and on classic and contemporary topics such as status, power, justice, influence, decision making, intergroup relations, and social networks. This volume covers a broad section of theory and research. The first two chapters address stereotyping and discrimination, emphasizing the importance of intergroup relations in the production of seemingly intrapersonal phenomena. Themes of other chapters include: theoretical issues concerning status in task groups; aspects of power in bargaining and exchange; conflict in familial relations; the spread or transition of social phenomena; and the relations between micro-, meso-, and macro-level forces in sociological theorizing.

"Advances in Group Processes" publishes theoretical analyses, reviews and theory based empirical chapters on group phenomena. Volume 18 addresses a broad range of theoretical and empirical questions that cut across sociology, psychology, economics, and political science. The first two contributions examine the perceptual and interactional factors that result in leadership and inequality in small groups. The next chapter explores the psychology of buying and selling, focusing in particular on the perceptual biases that emerge when individuals exchange money for goods. The fourth chapter seeks to identify important personal characteristics and social factors that precipitate trust among strangers. Two chapters then address relatively new questions in the social sciences. Chapter five asks how the study of autistic individuals can shed light on basic cognitive processes and a theory of the mind. Chapter six shows how evolutionary psychology can help explain the emergence of social structures such as kinship networks. The final two chapters bring experimental evidence to bear on questions of status, influence, and affective reactions in groups. Overall, the volume includes contributions by major scholars from various social scientific disciplines that work in the general area of group processes.

How can Twitter data be used to study individual-level human behavior and social interaction on a global scale? This book introduces readers to the methods, opportunities, and challenges of using Twitter data to analyze phenomena ranging from the number of people infected by the flu, to national elections, to tomorrow's stock prices. Each chapter, written by leading domain experts in clear and accessible language, takes the reader to the forefront of the newly emerging field of computational social science. An introductory chapter on Twitter data analysis provides an overview of key tools and skills, and gives pointers on how to get started, while the case studies demonstrate shortcomings, limitations, and pitfalls of Twitter data as well as its advantages. The book will be an excellent resource for social science students and researchers wanting to explore the use of online data.