Doctoral Dissertation Research: Prosocial Reputation Dynamics in Social Networks

Emory University, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Having a reputation for being cooperative, trustworthy, and generous, which social scientists call a "prosocial reputation," is known to facilitate a surprisingly wide range of socially important transactions. For example, pro-social reputations are associated with increased social support, better health, and more opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships and economic relationships. However, reputations may change and when that happens, it is likely that their effects change, too. This malleability of reputations is thought to come about when opinions and information about others are exchanged between individuals and reputations spread through social networks. The research funded by this awards will investigate when and how such spread occurs; its consequences for health, well-being, cooperative relationships, and social status; and whether prosocial reputations spread differently and have different life consequences for women and for men. A critical problem in network research is the difficulty of collecting whole network data that contain all salient social relationships of a particular group of individuals. For instance, in the United States social networks span large geographic distances and due to increased mobility and compartmentalization of various networks to differentiated social realms such as organizations, neighborhoods, and family, often do not have clearly demarcated boundaries. This makes the mapping of whole networks very difficult. Therefore, the researcher will conduct the research in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. The archipelago contains multiple islands with small populations (< 160 individuals), for whom day-to-day social relations are geographically bounded and, because of infrastructural constraints, relatively isolated. This degree of isolation implies that most social effects of reputations originate within the community, making it a near ideal environment to study the overarching implications of social networks and reputations on individuals' lives. Emory University doctoral student Hanne van der Iest, supervised by Dr. Paul L. Hooper, will carry out this research in one island community in Orkney. Within this community, she will comprehensively map multiple social networks through the collection of six waves of bimonthly surveys and behavioral observations of cooperation and collective action over a one year period. Scale development through interviews and observation will precede survey administration to arrive at locally valid measurement instruments for study constructs. Findings from this research will contribute to our understanding of the dynamic spread of prosocial reputations among women and men, and their changing effects on health, well-being, social status, and productive exchange. These findings are important for social scientists who want to understand the role of prosocial behavior in human societies as well as for those concerned with improving the quality of community life and individual well-being.