Ioannis Katerelos | Panteion University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ioannis Katerelos

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 11, No. 3, 2024

Belief in conspiracy theories is close related with the adoption of behavioral patterns often ass... more Belief in conspiracy theories is close related with the adoption of behavioral patterns often associated with a direct dispute of scientific research, institutional and governmental practices. The recent Covid-19 pandemic revealed an ecosystem of stories and narratives promoting alternative explanations about a real public threat. The exposure to these narratives and their persuasion towards people's cognitive structures is a crucial issue to be examined to identify the different strategies implemented, by individuals and groups, in order to address a direct threat to society. In the current exploratory research, we examined whether believing in conspiracy theories about Covid-19 pandemic, is possible to predict semantic networks as cognitive structures. The analysis of the research findings provided different patterns of thought about individual exposure to Covid-19 conspiracy theories, their persuasiveness, and the different levels of compliance to (state-promoted) health measures. We discuss the importance of future research focusing on the level of acceptance of the role of different social institutions. A systematic analysis of conspiracy theories rationale is possible to address the cognitive bias organized on belief systems that offer a logical problem solving in social uncertainties. A more thorough study on the individual and group perception of the role of institutions, the level of their acceptance or dispute, as well as their direct and indirect impact on the development of socially responsible behaviors, within a shared social reality, could enhance our knowledge towards the development of effective social policies to confront the next public health crisis.

Dans cet article on essayera un premier traitement du conflit qui peut resulter entre une image a... more Dans cet article on essayera un premier traitement du conflit qui peut resulter entre une image a priori et les pratiques sociales dans une situation donnee (qui est celle du recrutement). Il s´agit d´un travail empirique, du terrain, et, de ce fait, ses resultats sont nuances. Ainsi, un conflit situationel eleve n´implique pas necessairement un conflit ideologique intense et, a l´inverse, un conflit ideologique eleve n´aboutit pas necessairement a un conflit contextualise. Donc, les notions du conflit prennent des differentes connotations sur le terrain et des mecanismes se mettent en place pour defendre la structure d´une representation sous-jacente: la mobilisation selective d´une partie de la representation, celle qui se trouve mobilisee a fortiori par le contexte.

Δυναμική των κοινωνικών αναπαραστάσεων, 1996

Τότε... τώρα έχουμε το μοντέλο toblerone... μοιάζουν πολύ όμως!

Giovani et democrazia in Europa, 1998

Book chapter, editions CEDAM, in Italian.

Papers in Social Representations, 1997

Psychologia , 2001

Regarding structural approach in social representations theory (in English)

Cet article vise a presenter une etude experimentale exploratoire sur la negation (MEC) et la con... more Cet article vise a presenter une etude experimentale exploratoire sur la negation (MEC) et la confirmation simultanee des elements centraux ou peripheriques. Au travers des hypotheses « classiques » sur la representation sociale comme grille de lecture, nous procedons a deux manipulations ayant pour but, d'un cote, de verifier le statut des elements centraux et, de l'autre cote, de tester la negociabilite de ces elements, que celle-ci soit une negociation intra-noyau ou extra-noyau. Mis a part la verification de la centralite, les resultats montrent qu'un element du noyau central peut s'averer negociable, mais uniquement par rapport a un autre element central. En outre, cette etude nous permet d'avancer des hypotheses nouvelles sur la differenciation processuelle concernant l'aspect descriptif et/ou prescriptif des elements d'une representation sociale donnee.

Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, 2013

This article investigates the Multiple Equilibria Regulation (MER) model, i.e., an agent-based si... more This article investigates the Multiple Equilibria Regulation (MER) model, i.e., an agent-based simulation model, to represent opinion dynamics in social networks. It relies on a small set of microprerequisites (intra-individual balance and confidence bound), leading to emergence of (non)stationary macro-outcomes. These outcomes may refer to consensus, polarization or fragmentation of opinions about taxation (e.g., congestion pricing) or other policy measures, according to the way communication is structured. In contrast with other models of opinion dynamics, it allows for the impact of both the regulation of intra-personal discrepancy and the interpersonal variability of opinions on social learning and network dynamics. Several simulation experiments are presented to demonstrate, through the MER model, the role of different network structures (complete, star, cellular automata, small-world and random graphs) on opinion formation dynamics and the overall evolution of the system. The findings can help to identify specific topological characteristics, such as density, number of neighbourhoods and critical nodes-agents, that affect the stability and system dynamics. This knowledge can be used to better organize the information diffusion and learning in the community, enhance the predictability of outcomes and manage possible conflicts. It is shown that a small-world organization, which depicts more realistic aspects of real-life and virtual social systems, provides increased predictability and stability towards a less fragmented and more manageable grouping of opinions, compared to random networks. Such macro-level organizations may be enhanced with use of web-based technologies to increase the density of communication and public acceptability of policy measures.

Complexity, 2004

In this article, we present the Multiple Equilibria Regulation (MER) Model in cellular automata t... more In this article, we present the Multiple Equilibria Regulation (MER) Model in cellular automata topology. As argued in previous explorations of the model, for certain parameter values, the behavior of the system exhibits transient chaos (namely, the system is unpredictable but ends in a final steady state). In order to approach empirical reality, we introduce a cellular automata topology. Examining the outcome of the simulations leads us to conclude that for certain parameter values tested, the system yields chaotic behavior. Thus, cellular automata contribution has proven crucial, because the introduced topology converts the behavior of the system from transient chaos to "pure" chaos, i.e., the system is not only unpredictable on the long run but, in addition, it will never rest in a final steady state. According to these findings, authors argue the theoretical hypothesis that the urge for "prediction" in social sciences should be reconsidered in terms of "predictability horizon".

Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 51-70

Abstract: We live in a ceaselessly changing and inescapably dynamic social world. Given the inher... more Abstract: We live in a ceaselessly changing and inescapably dynamic social world. Given the inherent unpredictability of human complex systems, this brief article seeks to show that agent-based social simulations can possibly approach the ideal of a fundamental law of social dynamics, including all forms or processes of social dynamics, articulated with everyday life and action, individual or collective. This ultimately tends to recover the explanatory potential of social networks and offer an efficient research basis for the creative re-conceptualization of social dynamics.

Abstract: Nowadays, science and technology have immediate and powerful social impacts. Therefore,... more Abstract: Nowadays, science and technology have immediate and powerful social impacts. Therefore, their systematic study is not possible without attention to questions of citizenship and democracy. Building upon this critical discussion, the present paper seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the changes in the lay and expert understanding of technoscientific knowledge. The presentation and analysis of these changes is mainly conceived in terms of significant sociological issues: the logic of the “public understanding of science”, the search for alternative technological projects and the radical reconstruction of “expertise ” and “knowledge politics”. The necessity to adequately address these issues is vital for the future of civil society and the quality of our everyday life.

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology

Within only a few years, Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter, You Tube and other social media have becom... more Within only a few years, Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter, You Tube and other social media have become an intimate part of everyday life. Web 2.0, the collective term for all forms of interactive online communication, is characterized by the overwhelming ability of users to collaboratively create content. The implications of Web 2.0 have become a central focus for interdisciplinary social science research. This book comprehensively addresses the profound impact of Web 2.0 on contemporary society and its dynamics in a multiplicity of fields. The chapters, authored by world-leading experts, vividly demonstrate that Web 2.0 is a dynamic basis for collective action and an unlimited source of societal destabilisation and revolutionary change, for better or for worse. Various aspects of the radical transformative potential of Web 2.0 are imaginatively and critically discussed in the analytical context of quantitative approaches, qualitative works and case studies. This book provides key insig...

In dieser Arbeit wird das zeitlose Scheitern des Steuersystems in Griechenland trotz seiner konti... more In dieser Arbeit wird das zeitlose Scheitern des Steuersystems in Griechenland trotz seiner kontinuierlichen Reform hervorgehoben, wobei die Untersuchung des Phanomens der Steuerhinterziehung mit einem anderen Ansatz angegangen wird. Die vorliegende Studie zielt darauf ab, sozialpsychologische Charakteristika und Einstellungen zu identifizieren, die die Erforschung des Steuerverhaltens durch die mathematische Untersuchung linearer Modelle fur die Steuerpolitik beeinflussen, und das Steuerverhalten mit Simulationsmodellen zu beurteilen, in denen Staatsreform, Steuerreform und finanzielle Restrukturierung zusammen mit sozialem Konsens, Transparenz und Steuergerechtigkeit Kontrollparameter sind. Die Umfrage umfasste 320 Steuerzahler aus dem gesamten griechischen Gebiet. Eine mathematische Studie mit linearer Analyse zeigte, dass ein lineares Modell soziale und psychologische Faktoren integriert, die das Steuerverhalten deutlich besser reprasentieren und die Steuerhinterziehung senken. ...

This paper describes the reflexive epistemological background and the computational experience ob... more This paper describes the reflexive epistemological background and the computational experience obtained from the laboratory testing of a new social simulation modelling paradigm. Both the reflexive and normative dimensions of this theoretically grounded and practically useful paradigm are critically presented and explained to vividly demonstrate how the dynamic interactions between cognitive and reactive behavioural processes of social agents can possibly lead to unintended, unforeseen and unanticipated macro-social structural outcomes and side-effects. The test experimentations signify the sociological and topological complexity of even simplified networks of social agents. They also verify the undecidable and surprising character of (holistic-emergent) social dynamics and that the future cannot be fully predicted with certainty.

In this paper, we shall present a model of opinion dynamics called Multiple Equilibria Regulation... more In this paper, we shall present a model of opinion dynamics called Multiple Equilibria Regulation (MER) Model which, concerning social equilibrium, is based on the Bounded Confidence (BC) Modelâ€™s procedures and, it takes under consideration an agentsâ€™ internal (â€œintra-individualâ€ ) regulation structure among different opinions regarding the same social issue. First, we give a detailed description of the model and define its parameters. Then, we explore this nonlinear model by a series of computer simulations for a variety of parameterâ€™ values. Next, we examine under what conditions the model exhibits sensitive dependence on initial conditions and, finally, we calculate the Lyapunov Exponents and the Information Entropy. Our results show that for certain parameterâ€™ values, the system exhibits sensitivity of final state to initial state, thus it is chaotic (deterministic and unpredictable). Hence, by combining two psychosocial principles that both tend to certainty (stabili...

The paper addresses the timeless failure of the tax system in Greece despite its constant reform,... more The paper addresses the timeless failure of the tax system in Greece despite its constant reform, highlighting the study of tax evasion phenomenon with a different approach. This study aims to assess tax behavior with a model of cusp catastrophe, where fear and peer pressure are control parameters. The survey involved 320 taxpayers from the entire Greek territory. Mathematical study using linear analysis and catastrophe modelling showed that a non-linear system is dramatically better in representing tax behavior than is any linear model. Specifically, the Cusp catastrophe model is much more accurate (R2 = .911) bettering the corresponding linear model (R2 = .003). These results strongly infer the conclusion that tax behavior in Greece might involve systemic uncertainty.