The network approach has also been used to understand patterns of social inXuence, social cognition, and political culture. Krackhardt’s (1990) concept of cognitive networks is among the most intriguing ideas in this genre. In studying a computer Wrm, Krackhardt found that more centrally located employees in actual social networks were also more accurate in their cognitive understanding of these social networks (cognitive networks). He also showed that reputational power in the Wrm was associated with this cognitive accuracy. Social psychologists have also used network approaches to model how social inXuence processes work through networks. Friedkin (1998) provides a powerful approach for modeling these inXu- ence processes. In political science, network processes are also understood as a way to model ‘‘contextual eVects’’ precisely. Political scientists have used these network models to analyze the inXuence of neighbors on political attitudes towards candi- dates (Huckfeldt and Sprague 1987).
In addition to studying cognition and social inXuence, network approaches have also been applied to studying political culture. Examples include Mohr and Duquenne’s (1997) network analysis of the historical evolution of social welfare categories in New York City and Ansell’s (1997) study of how institutional networks and symbols interacted to produce a signiWcant realignment of French working class institutions.
