Date of Award

1-1-2009

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

David Willer

Abstract

Network Exchange Theory (NET) predicts outcomes in exchange structures and has been successfully tested in experiments. One function of Network Exchange Theory is to explore various connection types between positions within structures. The two types relevant to this paper are inclusion and ordering. Inclusion occurs when the central position must exchange with all positions connected to it. It cannot benefit if any is left out, or excluded. Ordering occurs when the necessary exchanges must be completed in a sequence. Inclusion and ordering can be combined in a structure such that the central position must exchange with all connected positions in a set sequence. Three sets of experimental data explore this combination of connection types. In the first set, an ordered and inclusive structure revealed that the powerful positions exercised much greater power than the predictions for inclusion or ordering alone suggest. New predictions must be formulated in to account for inclusion-ordering structures. In addition, a second study was conducted to test how structural constraint information given to positions may affect the exchange ratios in an inclusive-ordered structure. A third experiment also examined how information may affect exchange ratios in an inclusive structure. This thesis is divided into two chapters; the first explicates the new model for prediction of inclusive-ordered structures, and the second explores the dynamics of information.

Rights

© 2009, Patricia Danielle Lewis

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