A44. Rice,
R. E. (1993). Using network concepts to clarify sources and mechanisms
of
social influence. In W. Richards, Jr., & G. Barnett (Eds.), Progress
in Communication Sciences: Advances in communication network analysis.
(pp. 43-52.) Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
This article attempts to clarify some unresolved or unclarified
issues in applying social influence theories. It first reviews the
fundamental
components of social influence models making specific reference to
social
information processing theory. It then applies network analysis
constructs
to identify the conceptual foundations of three proximity mechanisms
(relational,
positional, and spatial) and two sources (individual and group) of
social
information processing. This discussion may help to make explicit some
of the motivations behind particular choices in testing theories of
social
influence.
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