Publications
Publications
- 2022
Shared Models in Networks, Organizations, and Groups
By: Joshua Schwartzstein and Adi Sunderam
Abstract
To understand new information, we exchange models or interpretations with others. This
paper provides a framework for thinking about such social exchanges of models. The key assumption is that people adopt the interpretation in their network that best explains the data,
given their prior beliefs. An implication is that interpretations evolve within a network. For
many network structures, social learning mutes reactions to data: the exchange of models
leaves beliefs closer to priors than they were before. Our results shed light on why disagreements persist as new information arrives, as well as the goal and structure of meetings in
organizations.
Keywords
Social Learning Theory; Theory; Social Issues; Cognition and Thinking; Social and Collaborative Networks; Attitudes
Citation
Schwartzstein, Joshua, and Adi Sunderam. "Shared Models in Networks, Organizations, and Groups." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 30642, November 2022.