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SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for September 27, 2011
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Game Theory and Human Behavior seminar
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 @ 12:00 PM - 01:15 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, Information Sciences Institute, Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Robb Willer, UC Berkeley
Talk Title: Groups Reward Individual Sacrifice: The Status Solution to the Collective Action Problem
Abstract: One of the social sciences' classic puzzles is how
groups motivate their members to set aside self-interest and
contribute to collective action. This lecture presents a solution
to the problem based on status as a selective incentive motivating
contribution. Contributors to collective action signal their
group-oriented motivation and consequently earn diverse benefits
from group members - in particular, higher status - and these
rewards encourage greater giving to the group in the future. In
Study 1, high contributors to collective action were granted
higher status, exercised more interpersonal influence, were
cooperated with more, and received gifts of greater value. Studies
2 and 3 replicated these findings while discounting alternative
explanations. All three studies showed that giving to the group
mattered because it signaled the individual's motivation to help
the group. Study 4 found that participants who received status for
their contributions subsequently contributed more and viewed the
group more positively. These results demonstrate how the
allocation of respect to contributors shapes group productivity
and solidarity, offering a solution to the collective action problem.
Biography: Robb Willer is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and (by
courtesy) Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
His teaching and research focus on the bases of social order. http://willer.berkeley.edu/
One line of his research investigates the factors driving the
emergence of collective action, social norms, group solidarity,
altruistic behavior, and status hierarchies. In other research, he
explores the social psychology of political attitudes, especially
the role of fear, prejudice, and gender identity in contemporary
U.S. politics. Willer's research involves multiple empirical and
theoretical methods, including laboratory and field experiments,
surveys, direct observation, physiological measurement,
agent-based modeling, and social network analysis. He has
published in such journals as American Sociological Review,
American Journal of Sociology, Annual Review of Sociology, Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science,
Social Psychology Quarterly, Proceedings of the Royal Society B:
Biological Sciences, and Social Networks. His work has received
awards from the American Sociological Association's Mathematical
Sociology, Rationality and Society, and Peace, War, and Social
Conflict sections. Professor Willer's research has received
widespread media coverage including CNN, NBC Nightly News, The
Today Show, MSNBC, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post,
Chicago Tribune, Science, Nature, Time, Scientific American,
Slate, Psychology Today, and National Public Radio.
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Eric Mankin
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
An Evening of Poetry and Music with Dana Gioia: A Visions and Voices Signature Event
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 @ 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Receptions & Special Events
Admission is free. Reservations required. To RSVP, click on the links below beginning Tuesday, August 30, at 9 a.m. Seating is general admission.
USC Students, Staff and Faculty: To RSVP, click here: http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/visionsandvoices/RSVP/reserve.php?RSVPEvtCode=180
General Public: To RSVP, click here: http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/visionsandvoices/RSVP/reserveGeneral_Multi.php?RSVPEvtCode=180
Reception to follow.
Please join USC President C. L. Max Nikias and Provost Elizabeth Garrett in welcoming internationally acclaimed and award-winning poet Dana Gioia to USC in his new role as Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture. This celebratory evening will feature Gioia in conversation with University Professor Kevin Starr to illuminate Gioiaâs unique and influential career, comprising his fifteen years as a marketing executive at General Foods; his provocative 1991 essay âCan Poetry Matter?,â in which he argued that poets and poetry are necessary ingredients of an educated society; his poetry collections, literary anthologies and opera libretti, including his collection Interrogations at Noon, which won the 2002 American Book Award; and his two terms as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, where he created initiatives such as The Big Read and Poetry Out Loud. Readings by Gioia and musical performances will be interspersed throughout the evening. Special guest artists will include Grammy-nominated baritone and USC Thornton School professor Rod Gilfry.
Photo: © Lynn Goldsmith
For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.edu
Location: George Finley Bovard Administration Building (ADM) - Bovard Auditorium
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Daria Yudacufski
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.
