From individual choice to group decision-making

Some universal features are independent of both the social nature of the individuals making the decision and the nature of the decision itself. On this basis a simple magnet like model is built. Pair interactions are introduced to measure the degree of exchange among individuals while discussing. An external uniform field is included to account for a possible pressure from outside. Individual biases with respect to the issue at stake are also included using local random fields. A unique postulate of minimum conflict is assumed. The model is then solved with emphasis on its psyche-sociological implications. Counter-intuitive results are obtained. At this stage no new physical technicality is involved. Instead the full psyche-sociological implications of the model are drawn. Few cases are then detailed to enlight them. III addition, several numerical experiments based on our model are shown to give both an insight on the dynamics of the model and suggest further research directions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.