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Studying Trajectories of Conflict Escalation

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Models for Intercultural Collaboration and Negotiation

Part of the book series: Advances in Group Decision and Negotiation ((AGDN,volume 6))

Abstract

The present chapter describes research in progress which is developing a simple, replicable methodology aimed at identifying the regularities and specificity of human behavior in conflict escalation and de-escalation processes. These research efforts will ultimately be used to study conflict dynamics across cultures. The experimental data collected through this methodology, together with case-studies, and aggregated, time-series macro data are key for identifying relevant parameters, systems’ properties, and micro-mechanisms defining the behavior of naturally occurring conflict escalation and de-escalation dynamics. This, in turn, is critical for the development of realistic, empirically supported computational models. The article outlines the theoretical assumptions of Dynamical Systems Theory with regard to conflict dynamics, with an emphasis on the process of conflict escalation and de-escalation. Work on a methodology for the empirical study of escalation processes from a DST perspective is outlined. Specifically, the development of a progressive scenario methodology designed to map escalation sequences, together with an example of a preliminary study based on the proposed research paradigm, is presented. Implications of the approach for the study of culture are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research is based upon work supported by the U. S. Army Research Laboratory and the U. S. Army Research Office under grant number W911NF-08-1-0144.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland

    Lan Bui-Wrzosinska

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Michele Gelfand & Laura Severance

  3. Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA

    Andrzej Nowak

Authors
  1. Lan Bui-Wrzosinska
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  2. Michele Gelfand
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  3. Andrzej Nowak
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  4. Laura Severance
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lan Bui-Wrzosinska .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Katia Sycara

  2. Dept. Psychology, University of Maryland Dept. Psychology, College Park, Maryland, USA

    Michele Gelfand

  3. Behavioral & Social Sciences, U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral & Social Sciences, Arlington, Virgin Islands, USA

    Allison Abbe

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Bui-Wrzosinska, L., Gelfand, M., Nowak, A., Severance, L. (2013). Studying Trajectories of Conflict Escalation. In: Sycara, K., Gelfand, M., Abbe, A. (eds) Models for Intercultural Collaboration and Negotiation. Advances in Group Decision and Negotiation, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5574-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5574-1_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-5573-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-5574-1

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