Boolean network
Definition
Boolean network refers to a dynamical systems method that models temporal changes in group members' behavior using Boolean functions (AND, OR, NOT), representing each member's behavior at a given time point as a function of their own and others' behaviors at the preceding time point. The method estimates dyad-level social influence from observed behavioral time series without assuming that influence is uniform or exclusively assimilative, thereby accommodating both assimilative and repulsive social influence within the same group. Applied to longitudinal data on self-disclosure in 18 therapy groups (N = 135, across 10 to 16 weeks), the approach characterized each member's pattern of self-disclosure and identified the social influence each member exerted on peers. Sixteen of the 18 estimated group models included both assimilative and repulsive social influence. Beyond descriptive modeling, the method incorporates control theory to design group management strategies capable of directing groups toward desired behavioral states without manipulating existing social ties.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
Related Terms
- group process (1 shared article)
- social influence (1 shared article)
- network control (1 shared article)
- dynamical system method (1 shared article)
Applications
Boolean Network and Social Influence
Social influence in small groups takes two forms, assimilative and repulsive, and the Boolean network method estimates both simultaneously from behavioral time series data. When person A's behavior at time t has a positive temporal relation with person B's behavior at time t + 1, the method infers assimilative influence; a negative temporal relation indicates repulsive influence. In the therapy group data examined, 16 of 18 groups showed evidence of both influence types operating concurrently, a finding that methods constrained to assimilative influence alone could not have captured.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
Boolean Network and Behavior Change
Behavior change in social groups emerges from the accumulated social influence processes among members, and the Boolean network method models this evolution from one discrete time point to the next. Applied to self-disclosure in therapy groups, the method described how each individual's behavior at a given session was shaped by the prior behaviors of other group members, producing group-specific portraits of behavioral dynamics.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
Boolean Network and Group Management Strategies
Control theory, applied within the Boolean network framework, generates targeted intervention strategies that can steer a group toward a desired behavioral state. In the therapy group application, useful control strategies were identified for 6 of the 18 groups, while 10 groups were already functioning toward the desired goal of majority self-disclosure and required no intervention, and 2 groups had no available strategy.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
