Computer Scientists Create Algorithm That Measures Human Pecking Order
Technology Review (12/21/11)
Cornell University's Jon Kleinberg, who developed the Hyper Induced Topic Search (HITS) algorithm that led to Google's PageRank search algorithm, has developed a method for measuring power differences between individuals using the patterns of words they speak or write. "We show that in group discussions, power differentials between participants are subtly revealed by how much one individual immediately echoes the linguistic style of the person they are responding to," Kleinberg says. The key to the technique is linguistic co-ordination, in which speakers naturally copy the style of the interlocutors. The Cornell researchers focused on functional words that provide a grammatical framework for sentences but do not have real meaning themselves, such as articles, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions and high-frequency adverbs. The researchers studied editorial discussions between Wikipedia editors and transcripts of oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court. By looking at the changes in linguistic style that occur when people make the transition from non-admin to admin roles on Wikipedia, the researchers show that the pattern of linguistic co-ordination changes too. A similar effect occurs in the Supreme Court. "Our work is the first to identify connections between language coordination and social power relations at large scales, and across a diverse set of individuals and domains," Kleinberg says.
Technology Review (12/21/11)
Cornell University's Jon Kleinberg, who developed the Hyper Induced Topic Search (HITS) algorithm that led to Google's PageRank search algorithm, has developed a method for measuring power differences between individuals using the patterns of words they speak or write. "We show that in group discussions, power differentials between participants are subtly revealed by how much one individual immediately echoes the linguistic style of the person they are responding to," Kleinberg says. The key to the technique is linguistic co-ordination, in which speakers naturally copy the style of the interlocutors. The Cornell researchers focused on functional words that provide a grammatical framework for sentences but do not have real meaning themselves, such as articles, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions and high-frequency adverbs. The researchers studied editorial discussions between Wikipedia editors and transcripts of oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court. By looking at the changes in linguistic style that occur when people make the transition from non-admin to admin roles on Wikipedia, the researchers show that the pattern of linguistic co-ordination changes too. A similar effect occurs in the Supreme Court. "Our work is the first to identify connections between language coordination and social power relations at large scales, and across a diverse set of individuals and domains," Kleinberg says.
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