Group Polarization: Connecting, Influence and Balance, a Simulation Study Based on Hopfield Modeling

In this paper, we address the general question of how negative social influence determines global voting patterns for a group-based population, when individuals face binary decisions. The intrinsic relation between global patterns and local structure motifs distribution is investigated based on Hopfield model. By simulating results with the model, we examine the group opinions polarization processes, and find that the global pattern of group opinions polarization is closely linked with local level structure balance. This computing result is well agreed with the classic structure balance theory of social psychology.