Social groups, selective perception, and behavioral contagion in public opinion.

The paper describes the results of computer simulations of behavioral contagion in the realm of public opinion. Using threshold models to describe how and why some people assert opinions and others do not, the paper argues that to better describe the dynamics of opinion assertion and quiescence the model must be able to account for the fact that different individuals differ in the importance they place on the actions of others, and in the networks in which they are embedded.