Predicting social influence with faction sizes and relative status

• We develop a formal model of social influence based on faction sizes and relative status.
• The model links both psychological and sociological research on social influence.
• We evaluate the formal model using experimental data.
• Results indicate that the model fits the experimental data.

Building on a recent theoretical development in the field of sociological social psychology, we develop a formal mathematical model of social influence processes. The extant theoretical literature implies that factions and status should have non-linear effects on social influence, and yet these theories have been evaluated using standard linear statistical models. Our formal model of influence includes these non-linearities, as specified by the theories. We evaluate the fit of the formal model using experimental data. Our results indicate that a one-parameter mathematical model fits the experimental data. We conclude with the implications of our research and a discussion of how it may be used as an impetus for further work on social influence processes.