Measuring and Modeling Group Dynamics in Open-Source Software Development: A Tensor Decomposition Approach

Many open-source software projects depend on a few core developers, who take over both the bulk of coordination and programming tasks. They are supported by peripheral developers, who contribute either via discussions or programming tasks, often for a limited time. It is unclear what role these peripheral developers play in the programming and communication efforts, as well as the temporary task-related sub-groups in the projects. We mine code-repository data and mailing-list discussions to model the relationships and contributions of developers in a social network and devise a method to analyze the temporal collaboration structures in communication and programming, learning about the strength and stability of social sub-groups in open-source software projects. Our method uses multi-modal social networks on a series of time windows. Previous work has reduced the network structure representing developer collaboration to networks with only one type of interaction, which impedes the simultaneous analysis of more than one type of interaction. We use both communication and version-control data of open-source software projects and model different types of interaction over time. To demonstrate the practicability of our measurement and analysis method, we investigate 10 substantial and popular open-source software projects and show that, if sub-groups evolve, modeling these sub-groups helps predict the future evolution of interaction levels of programmers and groups of developers. Our method allows maintainers and other stakeholders of open-source software projects to assess instabilities and organizational changes in developer interaction and can be applied to different use cases in organizational analysis, such as understanding the dynamics of a specific incident or discussion.

Modelling Consensus Emergence With Nonlinear Dynamics

The study of emergent, bottom-up, processes has long been of interest within organizational and group research. Emergent processes refer to how dynamic interactions among lower-level units (e.g. individuals) over time form a new, shared, construct or phenomena at a higher level (e.g. work group). To properly study emergence of shared constructs one needs models, and data, that both take into account variability across individuals and groups (multilevel), and variability over time (longitudinal). This article makes three contribution to the modelling and theory of of consensus emergence. First, we formulate two separate patterns of consensus emergence; homogeneous and heterogeneous. Homogeneous consensus emergence is characterized by gradual and almost deterministic adjustments of the individual trajectories, whereas heterogeneous consensus emergence show more randomly oscillating trajectories towards consensus. Second, we introduce a model-invariant statistic that measures the strength of the consensus; and allows for comparisons between different models and patterns of consensus emergence. Third, we show how Gaussian Processes can be used to further extend the consensus emergence models, allowing them to capture nonlinear dynamics, on both individual and group level, in emergent processes. Using an established data set, we show that conclusions on the pattern of consensus emergence can change depending on whether the nonlinear group mean change over time is adequately modelled or not. Thus it is crucial to correctly capture the group dynamics to properly understand the consensus emergence.

Becoming a Psychotherapist: Learning Practices and Identity Construction Across Communities of Practice

Within a perspective that views groups as communities of practice and sites of construction of knowledge, learning, and identity, this article aims to explore the contribution that participation in different groups over the course of one’s life provides to the development of the professional practices of psychotherapist trainees enrolled in the C.O.I.R.A.G. school, an Italian graduate program in group psychotherapy. Through qualitative analyses of 10 semi-structured interviews, our study empirically shows that by participating in groups, the trainees not only learn the practices of that group but also develop a sort of meta-learning which takes place across groups. The results highlight that: (1) Transversality, duration, and informality are found to be the group properties with the highest formative value; and (2) Learning practices across different groups have common characteristics: are organized around complex topics of group life (e.g., how to manage conflicts, how to join and leave groups, etc.), began in early group experiences, are in continuous evolution, are associated with a critical event, and a negative affect. At the same time, it seems that these critical events are exactly what triggered and sustained the learning practices. Data from the interviews also showed how professional identities are constructed as the outcome of learning in different communities of practice. The study outlines how the experience made in different groups is elaborated in and through meaningful self-narratives, highlighting them as a fundamentally collective and culturally shaped sense-making process. Overall, these results contribute to a better understanding of learning processes as situated and jointly constructed through multiple group participations over time. Furthermore, they contribute to highlighting the role of self-narratives as a primary way through which trainees shape their identity as self-reflexive professionals who are competent in reading group dynamics. Directions for future research and suggestions for psychotherapist training paths are outlined in the conclusions.

The Futurians, Gamergate, and Fandom

From the science fiction fan clubs of the 1930s to the modern gamers, devoted fans have found one another and formed groups bonded over their shared interest. As groups formed, social identities began to emerge, distinguishing ingroups and outgroups. Social identity theory helps to explain the formation of groups as well as inevitable competition over resources and power. As technology became more sophisticated, fans were able to communicate with greater ease facilitating ingroup social identification. The inherent properties of video games reinforce both the cooperation among ingroup members as well as the rivalry with outgroups. Understanding the mechanisms within video games as well as the affordances of CMC and social media help to explain the group dynamics that support the Gamergate social identity.

Working Together: Cooperation or Collaboration?

Teamwork involves different types of interactions—specifically cooperation and collaboration—that are necessary in education and many other professions. The differences between cooperation and collaboration underline the teacher’s role in influencing group dynamics, which represent both a found­ation for professional design education and a prequalification for students’ competences as teachers and for critical evaluation. As a test case, we focused on the Working Together action-research project in design education for specialised teacher training in design, arts, and crafts at the Oslo Metropolitan University, which included three student groups in the material areas of drawing, ceramics, and textiles. The project developed the participants’ patience, manual skills, creativity, and abilities, which are important personal qualities for design education and innovation and represent cornerstones in almost every design literacy and business environment. The hope is that students will transform these compe­tences to teaching pupils of all ages in their future careers.

In-group and Out-group: Dynamics of the «Russia – West» Social Distance Online and Offline

The article reveals a theoretical and empirical study of the social distance symbolic scale expressing “in-group” – “out-group” perceptions, expressed in the oppositions “Russia” – “West”, “Russian men – Western men”. According to our observations, the opposition has a negative connotation, which is expressed in a system of geopolitical and mental biases. Through systematic analysis of the geopolitical and mental distancing phenomenon, a complementary system for evaluating individual and collective representations of Russian-speaking respondents in real and virtual spaces is proposed. The authors conducted a controlled Internet survey of 600 people based on a quota sample by gender, age, and level of education; the structure of the sample allowed for a comparative study in the form of a nonreactive study within10 largest ethnic Russian communities of the social network “VKontakte”. As a result of a comprehensive study, it is established, in particular, that the opposition “Russia – West” is unchanged in the historical perspective from 1995 to 2020 and shows negative dynamics, over time acquiring the traits of an increasingly tough confrontation. Economic perceptions of the West’s attitude towards Russia are replaced mainly by the geopolitical perception of relations, due to the dominant “power” attitudes of the survey participants. As it turned out on an empirical level, the system of traditional values inherent in Russian society is opposed to Western postmodern values, and the image of the state at the level of value representations directly correlates with the image of the people, whose perception, along with geopolitics, is influenced by various cultural norms that distinguish Russians from Europeans. The gender and age characteristics of the survey participants determine the content of the answers to a minimal extent, which indirectly indicates the integrity of the image of the West at the level of the national identity of Russians.

The Effect of the OCB Gap on Task Performance with the Moderating Role of Task Interdependence

Using the social exchange theory and the social cognitive perspective in group dynamics, this study seeks to examine how different individuals in the degree of engagement in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among members of a team (i.e., the OCB gap) can affect their work performance across varying levels of task interdependence. The research hypotheses were tested empirically using field data regarding 146 employee-supervisor dyads collected from 41 teams in South Korea. The results of the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis indicate that having a lover level of OCB engagement than the group average induces feelings of indebtedness in employees, and this sense of obligation is stronger in a high level of task dependence context. We further discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this research and suggest areas for future research.

Captain Aguilera and filicide: an attachment-based exploration

This article aims to explore a constellation of individual-attachment, family-attachment, and group-attachment experiences, as well as other psychosocial, cultural, and political factors, which contributed to the dual filicide perpetrated by Captain Gonzalo de Aguilera Munro—a count, landowner, cavalryman, and propaganda press officer for General Francisco Franco’s army during the Spanish Civil War. Learning from Luis Arias González and, above all, Paul Preston’s biographies of Captain Aguilera, the article will employ a combined methodology of historical investigation, psychiatric clinical formulations, and group analysis. In doing so, it will take into account a highly complex context of brutal group dynamics of national depression and exaltation, unresolved trauma, military rebellion, war, genocide, holocaust, and dictatorship.

Employing AI to Better Understand Our Morals

We present a summary of research that we have conducted employing AI to better understand human morality. This summary adumbrates theoretical fundamentals and considers how to regulate development of powerful new AI technologies. The latter research aim is benevolent AI, with fair distribution of benefits associated with the development of these and related technologies, avoiding disparities of power and wealth due to unregulated competition. Our approach avoids statistical models employed in other approaches to solve moral dilemmas, because these are “blind” to natural constraints on moral agents, and risk perpetuating mistakes. Instead, our approach employs, for instance, psychologically realistic counterfactual reasoning in group dynamics. The present paper reviews studies involving factors fundamental to human moral motivation, including egoism vs. altruism, commitment vs. defaulting, guilt vs. non-guilt, apology plus forgiveness, counterfactual collaboration, among other factors fundamental in the motivation of moral action. These being basic elements in most moral systems, our studies deliver generalizable conclusions that inform efforts to achieve greater sustainability and global benefit, regardless of cultural specificities in constituents.