Simulations show extreme opinions can lead to polarized groups

(American Institute of Physics) In this week's Chaos, researchers use a theoretical model to examine what effect extreme views have on making the entire system more polarized. The group's network-based model extends a popular approach for studying opinion dynamics, called the Cobb model, and is based on the hypothesis that those with opinions farther from the middle of a political spectrum are also less influenced by others, a trait known to social scientists as 'rigidity of the extreme.'
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news