network control
Definition
Network control refers to the application of control theory principles to a modeled social system in order to steer group members toward a desired behavioral state. In the Boolean network framework, each group member's behavior is represented as a node, and temporal dependencies between members encode the direction and type of social influence, whether assimilative or repulsive. Control strategies are then derived from the structure of these inferred influence relations, identifying which group members, when prompted to exhibit a target behavior, will propagate that behavior to the majority of the group. Applied to self-disclosure in therapy groups, this approach identified actionable control strategies for 6 of 18 groups while confirming that 10 groups required no intervention because they were already functioning as desired, and 2 groups had no viable strategy available. The method is designed to direct groups toward desired states without manipulating the social ties themselves.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
Related Terms
- group process (1 shared article)
- social influence (1 shared article)
- Boolean network (1 shared article)
- dynamical system method (1 shared article)
Applications
Network Control and Boolean Network Modeling
Boolean network modeling provides the formal structure within which network control strategies are designed. Behavior at each time point is expressed as a function of prior states using Boolean operators, and the resulting network topology determines which control inputs can feasibly shift the group toward a target attractor state. In the therapy group application, this meant identifying specific group members whose self-disclosure, if elicited, would bring the majority of the group to also self-disclose.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
Network Control and Social Influence
Network control strategies depend directly on the pattern of social influence inferred from longitudinal behavioral data. Because the Boolean network method accommodates both assimilative and repulsive influence simultaneously, the resulting control strategies reflect the actual heterogeneity of dyadic relations rather than assuming uniform, assimilative effects. In 16 of the 18 therapy groups examined, both influence types were present, which shaped which control inputs were viable and which were not.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
Network Control and Behavior Change Interventions
Network control offers a principled alternative to intervention strategies that rely on manipulating social ties or targeting high-degree nodes under the assumption of purely assimilative influence. By deriving control inputs from the empirically estimated Boolean network, practitioners can identify the minimal set of group members to target in order to produce a desired group-level outcome. The therapy group data demonstrated that such targeted strategies are feasible without restructuring the social network itself.
Sources: Yang et al. (2024)
