Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T22:51:00.688Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

COHERENCE AND CORRESPONDENCE IN THE NETWORK DYNAMICS OF BELIEF SUITES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2016

Patrick Grim ,
Andrew Modell ,
Nicholas Breslin ,
Jasmine Mcnenny ,
Irina Mondescu ,
Kyle Finnegan ,
Robert Olsen ,
Chanyu An  and
Alexander Fedder
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Coherence and correspondence are classical contenders as theories of truth. In this paper we examine them instead as interacting factors in the dynamics of belief across epistemic networks. We construct an agent-based model of network contact in which agents are characterized not in terms of single beliefs but in terms of internal belief suites. Individuals update elements of their belief suites on input from other agents in order both to maximize internal belief coherence and to incorporate ‘trickled in’ elements of truth as correspondence. Results, though often intuitive, prove more complex than in simpler models (Hegselmann and Krause 2002, 2006; Grim et al. 2015). The optimistic finding is that pressures toward internal coherence can exploit and expand on small elements of truth as correspondence is introduced into epistemic networks. Less optimistic results show that pressures for coherence can also work directly against the incorporation of truth, particularly when coherence is established first and new data are introduced later.

Type
Articles
Information
Episteme , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , June 2017 , pp. 233 - 253
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alchourrón, C. E., Gärdenfors, P. and Makinson, D. 1985. ‘On the Logic of Theory Change: Partial Meet Contraction and Revision Functions.’ Journal of Symbolic Logic, 50: 510–30.Google Scholar
Axelrod, R. 1997. ‘The Dissemination of Culture: A Model with Local Convergence and Global Polarization.’ Journal of Conflict Resolution, 41: 203–26.Google Scholar
Bednar, J., Bramson, A., Jones-Rooy, A. and Page, S. 2010. ‘Emergent Cultural Signatures and Persistent Diversity: A Model of Conformity and Consistency.’ Rationality and Society, 22: 407–44.Google Scholar
Blanshard, B. 1964. Reason and Analysis. La Salle, IL: Open Court.Google Scholar
Boas, T. C. 2007. ‘Conceptualizing Continuity and Change: The Composite-Standard Model of Path Dependence.’ Journal of Theoretical Politics, 19: 33–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BonJour, L. 1985. The Structure of Empirical Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Burger, J. M. and Cornelius, T. 2003. ‘Raising the Price of Agreement: Public Commitment and the Lowball Compliance Procedure.’ Journal for Applied Social Psychology, 33: 923–34.Google Scholar
Chen, M. K. and Risen, J. L. 2010. ‘How Choice Affects and Reflects Preferences: Revisiting the Free-choice Paradigm.’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99: 573–94.Google Scholar
Cialdini, R. B. and Goldstein, N. J. 2004. ‘Social Influence: Compliance and Conformity.’ Annual Review of Psychology, 55: 591–621.Google Scholar
Cooper, J. M. 2007. Cognitive Dissonance: Fifty Years of a Classic Theory. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Davidson, D. 1986. ‘A Coherence Theory of Knowledge and Truth.’ In Lepore, E. (ed.), Truth and Interpretation, pp. 307–19. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
DeMarzon, P. M., Zwiebel, J. and Vayanos, D. 2003. ‘Persuasion Bias, Social Influence, and Unidimensional Opinions.’ Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118: 909–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ewing, A. C. 1934. Idealism: A Critical Survey. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Fagin, R., Ullman, J. D. and Vardi, M. Y. 1983. ‘On the Semantics of Updates in Databases.’ In Proceedings of the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD Symposium on Principles of Database Systems. Atlanta, GA: ACM.Google Scholar
Feldman, R. and Warfield, T. A. (eds) 2010. Disagreement. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Festinger, L. 1957. A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Garbayo, L. 2014. ‘Epistemic Considerations on Expert Disagreement, Normative Justification, and Inconsistency Regarding Multi-criteria Decision Making.’ In Ceberio, M. and Kreinovich, V. (eds), Constraint Programming and Decision Making, pp. 35–45. New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Gärdenfors, P. 1988. Knowledge in Flux: Modeling the Dynamics of Epistemic States. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Gawronski, B. and Strack, F. (eds) 2012. Cognitive Consistency: A Fundamental Principle in Social Cognition. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Grim, P., Singer, D. J., Fisher, S., Bramson, A., Berger, W. J., Reade, C., Flocken, C. and Sales, A. 2013. ‘Scientific Networks on Data Landscapes: Question Difficulty, Epistemic Success, and Convergence.’ Episteme, 10: 441–64.Google Scholar
Grim, P., Singer, D. J., Fisher, S., Bramson, A., Berger, W. J., Reade, C. and Fisher, S. 2015. ‘Germs, Genes, & Memes: Functional and Fitness Dynamics on Information Networks.’ Philosophy of Science, 82: 219–43.Google Scholar
Guégen, N., Pascal, A. and Diagot, L. 2002. ‘Low-Ball and Compliance to a Request: An Application in a Field Setting.’ Psychological Reports, 91: 81–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haig, B. D. and Borsboom, D. 2012. ‘Truth, Science, and Psychology.’ Theory and Psychology, 22: 272–89.Google Scholar
Harman, G. 1986. Change in View: Principles of Reasoning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Hegselmann, R. and Krause, U. 2002. ‘Opinion Dynamics and Bounded Confidence Models.’ Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 5. http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/5/3/2.html Google Scholar
Hegselmann, R. and Krause, U. 2006. ‘Truth and Cognitive Division of Labour: First Steps towards a Computer Aided Social Epistemology.’ Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 9. http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/9/3/10.html Google Scholar
Hegselmann, R. and Krause, U. 2009. ‘Deliberative Exchange, Truth, and Cognitive Division of Labour: A Low-Resolution Modeling Approach.’ Episteme, 6: 13–144.Google Scholar
Hempel, C. 1935. ‘On the Logical Positivists’ Theory of Truth.’ Analysis, 2: 49–59.Google Scholar
Huberman, B. A. and Glance, N. S. 1993. ‘Evolutionary Games and Computer Simulations.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 90: 7716–18.Google Scholar
Kahan, D. M., Peters, E., Wittlin, M., Slovic, P., Ouellette, L. L., Braman, D. and Mandel, G. 2012. ‘The Polarizing Impact of Science Literacy and Numeracy on Perceived Climate Change Risks.’ Nature Climate Change, 2: 732–5.Google Scholar
Kam, C. D. 2012. ‘The Psychological Veracity of Zaller's Model.’ Critical Review, 24: 547–67.Google Scholar
Kraft, P. W., Lodge, M. and Taber, C. S. 2015. ‘Why People ‘Don't Trust the Evidence’: Motivated Reasoning and Scientific Beliefs.’ Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 658: 121–33.Google Scholar
Kuhn, D. and Lao, J. 1996. ‘Effects of Evidence on Attitudes: Is Polarization the Norm?’ Psychological Science, 7: 115–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lehrer, K. 2000. Theory of Knowledge, 2nd edition. Boulder, CO: Westview.Google Scholar
Lewis, C. I. 1929. Mind and the World Order. New York: Charles Scribner [Reprinted New York: Dover 1956].Google Scholar
Lewis, C. I. 1946. An Analysis of Knowledge and Valuation. LaSalle, IL: Open Court.Google Scholar
Lodge, M. and Taber, C. S. 2013. The Rationalizing Voter. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lord, C. G., Ross, L. and Lepper, M. 1979. ‘Biased Assimilation and Attitude Polarization: The Effects of Prior Theories on Subsequently Considered Evidence.’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37: 2098–109.Google Scholar
Lycan, W. G. 2012. ‘Explanationist Rebuttals (Coherentism Defended Again).’ Southern Journal of Philosophy, 50: 5–20.Google Scholar
McGinn, C. 2002. ‘The Truth about Truth.’ In Schantz, R. (ed.), What is Truth?, pp. 194–204. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.Google Scholar
McRae, R. R. 1996. ‘Social Consequences of Experiential Openness.’ Psychological Bulletin, 129: 323–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, A. G., McHoskey, J. W., Bane, C. M. and Dowd, T. G. 1993. ‘The Attitude Polarization Phenomenon: Role of Response Measure, Attitude, Extremity, and Behavioral Consequences of Reported Attitude Change.’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64: 561–74.Google Scholar
Neurath, O. 1983. Philosophical Papers 1913–1946. Cohen, R. S. and Neurath, M. (eds). Dordrecht: D. Reidel.Google Scholar
Olsson, E. J. 2011. ‘A Simulation Approach to Veritistic Social Epistemology.’ Episteme, 8: 127–43.Google Scholar
Onraet, E., Van Heil, A., Roets, A. and Cornelis, I. 2011. ‘The Closed Mind: ‘Experience’ and ‘Cognition’ Aspects of Openness to Experience and Need for Closure as Psychological Bases for Right-wing Attitudes.’ European Journal of Personality, 25: 184–97.Google Scholar
Page, S. E. 2006. ‘Essay: Path Dependence.’ Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 1: 87–115.Google Scholar
Price, H. H. 1950. Perception. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Rescher, N. 1973 [1982]. The Coherence Theory of Truth. New York, NY: Oxford University Press 1973; University Press of America 1982.Google Scholar
Riegler, A. and Douven, I. 2009. ‘Extending the Hegselmann-Krause Model III: From Single Beliefs to Complex Belief States.’ Episteme, 6: 145–63.Google Scholar
Rodrigues, O., Gabbay, D. and Russo, A. 2011. ‘Belief Revision.’ In Gabbay, D. and Guenthner, F. (eds), Handbook of Philosophical Logic, 2nd edition, vol. 16, pp. 1–114. Dordrecht: Springer.Google Scholar
Russel, D. and Jones, W. H. 1980. ‘When Superstition Fails: Reactions to Disconfirmation of Paranormal Beliefs.’ Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 6: 83–8.Google Scholar
Russell, B. 1910. ‘On the Nature of Truth and Falsehood.’ In Philosophical Essays. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Russell, B. 1912. The Problems of Philosophy. New York: Oxford Google Scholar
Schwartzstein, J. 2014. ‘Selective Attention and Learning.’ Journal of the European Economic Association, 12: 1423–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taber, C. S. and Lodge, M. 2006. ‘Motivated Skepticism in the Evaluation of Political Beliefs.’ American Journal of Political Science, 50: 755–69.Google Scholar
Thagard, P. 2000. Coherence in Thought and Action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Thagard, P. 2007. ‘Coherence, Truth, and the Development of Scientific Knowledge.’ Philosophy of Science, 74: 28–47.Google Scholar
Thagard, P. and Kunda, Z. 1998. ‘Making Sense of People: Coherence Mechanisms.’ In Read, S. J. and Miller, L. C. (eds), Connectionist Models of Social Reasoning and Social Behavior, pp. 3–26. New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Vallinder, A. and Olsson, E. J. 2014. ‘Trust and the Value of Overconfidence: A Bayesian Perspective on Social Network Communication.’ Synthese, 191: 1991–2007.Google Scholar
Walsh, C. R. and Sloman, S. A. 2004. ‘Revising Causal Beliefs.’ In Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, pp. 1423–7. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Young, J. O. 2013. ‘The Coherence Theory of Truth.’ In Zalta, E. N. (ed.), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth-coherence/ Google Scholar
Zaller, J. R. 1992. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion, pp. 40–52. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar