URPP Social Networks

17/10/2024

, one of humanity’s defining traits, has become a focal point in artificial intelligence research. The newly launched Research Initiative, hosted by the Chair of Marketing for Social Impact at the Universität Zürich, brings together senior researchers from Swiss universities to examine how AI can simulate empathic responses to enrich human-AI speech interactions. Led by Dr. Alex Mari (UZH), Dr. Ertugrul Uysal (ETH), and Dr. Fotis Efthymiou (HSG), the Initiative investigates how and when empathic AI—particularly voice assistants powered by generative AI—can impact human decision-making and emotional well-being. This project, supported by the UZH Foundation, is conducted in collaboration with computational affective scientist Dr. Jeff Brooks (NYU) from Hume AI.

Announcement: https://www.socialnetworks.uzh.ch/en/news/AI-Meets-Empathy-AI-Empathy-Research-Initiative.html

Thanks to the initiative supporters UZH Foundation and Hume AI.

Universität Zürich ETH Zürich Marketing Group Zurich

02/10/2024

Publication alert 🚀 Congratulations to Manuel Sebastian Mariani from Universität Zürich for publishing a letter in PNAS and a new article in .

News: https://lnkd.in/e4uJCuNs

Abstract
"The quest for an unbiased scientific impact indicator remains open" published in PNAS, is a collaboration with Giacomo Vaccario (ETH Zürich), Shuqi Xu (Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei), and Matúš Medo (University of Bern). This letter critically examines some previously-published methodologies used to assess biases in scientific impact indicators and their ability to identify significant research. The authors show that these methods are confounded by temporal factors, and demonstrate that conclusions about indicators' bias and performance change significantly once unbiased methods are used. They call for further research to enhance our understanding of scientific evolution and to address broader concerns regarding algorithmic bias and fairness.

Citation
G. Vaccario, S. Xu, M. Mariani, M. Medo, The quest for an unbiased scientific impact indicator remains open. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121, e2410021121 (2024). https://lnkd.in/eVSD_xds

Abstract
“Forecasting national CO2 emissions worldwide" published in Scientific Reports, is a collaboration with Lorenzo Costantini (CENTAI, Turin, Italy), Francesco Laio (DIATI, Politecnico di Torino), Luca Ridolfi (DIATI, Politecnico di Torino), and Carla Sciarra (DIATI, Politecnico di Torino). The study reveals a stark divide in future carbon emissions between developed and developing nations. Using advanced modeling techniques, researchers predict that by 2035, developed economies will reduce emissions by 6.2%, while developing nations are set to see a 19% increase. These findings underscore the urgent need for sustainable growth strategies, particularly in regions with limited resources and infrastructure.

Citation
Costantini, L., Laio, F., Mariani, M.S. et al. Forecasting national CO2 emissions worldwide. Sci Rep 14, 22438 (2024). https://lnkd.in/ezYZM3gX

02/10/2024

Our alumna, Dr. Cindy Candrian, delivered a speech at .

Cindy's talk dives into research showing how mitigates cognitive biases and enhances decisions, especially in high-stakes situations, benefiting individuals, businesses, and the economy.

Uncover the power of AI to revolutionize decision-making by reducing your subconscious thinking mistakes. This talk dives into new research showing how AI mi...

24/09/2024

11/07/2024

Prof. Dr. René Algesheimer, co-director of the University Research Priority Program URPP Social Networks and Chair of Marketing for Social Impact at Universität Zürich, was recently interviewed for an article on the URPP Social Networks contribution and its future activities. An extract of the UZH News article is reported below.

“Values are the guiding principles in a person’s life, they’re taught to us from an early age, and in adulthood they help us to process and assess the things that influence us every single day.”

– René Algesheimer

According to Algesheimer, one of the most important contributions of his team was the creation of innovative tools to investigate the values and opinions influencing human behavior. The questionnaire for examining values has become the most widely used globally. The research team also designed an image-based questionnaire for young children who cannot yet read or write, enabling the assessment of the values and attitudes these children hold.

The URPP researchers employed these new tools to carry out extensive long-term studies on the value systems of both adults and children. In Switzerland, they explored the evolving attitudes of students towards integrating refugee children into school classes.

Additionally, the team examined how values develop across various grades and educational settings in German-speaking Swiss schools, comparing these findings with the value development of students in Poland. One key conclusion was that children in schools with diverse cultures and social classes develop more stable value systems and achieve more consistent academic performance.

Among future projects, Algesheimer mentioned “The Change Lab” – a competence center for delivering social change. His proposal presents an integrated approach to studying and managing social change, specifically aimed at achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative aims to foster sustainable, cohesive, and functional societies by connecting theories on behavior modification at both individual and collective levels through participative research and by offering actionable insights for political decision-makers.

Read the full article on the UZH News website: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/news/2024/urpp-social-networks.html

URPP Social Networks website: https://www.socialnetworks.uzh.ch/en/news/UZH-News--Interview-with-Ren%C3%A9-Algesheimer.html

11/07/2024

The 2024 American Marketing Association CBSIG Vienna Conference, themed “Why” Matters: The Imperative to Understand Consumer Behavior in a Data-Driven World, took place on July 1-3, 2024, in the historic city of Vienna, Austria. Hosted by the Institute for Digital Marketing & Behavioral Insights at WU Vienna, in collaboration with the Special Interest Group of the American Marketing Association (AMA CBSIG), this conference is a significant event for scholars in the field of marketing and consumer behavior.

Malin Pimper, Dr. Andrea Bublitz, and Prof. Dr. Andrea Giuffredi-Kähr of URPP Social Networks at the Universität Zürich presented their latest research projects.

Read more: https://www.socialnetworks.uzh.ch/en/news/2024-AMA-CBSIG-Vienna-Conference.html

09/07/2024

09/07/2024

Dr. Manuel Sebastian Mariani, Dr. Radu Tanase, Mingmin Feng, Luca Lazzaro, Fei Wang and Maria Poiaganova took part in the 44th Sunbelt conference in Edinburgh. The under the and Resilience theme took place at Heriot-Watt University.

The Marketing Group Zurich members from the URPP Social Networks at the Universität Zürich have actively contributed to presentations and discussions to the international network for analysis.

– Fei Wang: Beyond Network Centrality: a Lifecycle-based Seeding Strategy in Diffusion.

– Mingmin Feng: Seeding early adopters only works in homophilous networks: evidence from an ABM calibrated with choice experiments.

– Luca Lazzaro: Diffusion processes as the observation units: A framework for experimental investigation.

– Radu Tanase: Seeding interventions to increase participation in voluntary environmental programs. Evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

– Manuel Sebastian Mariani: Unlocking the micro-macro link: Integrating behavioral experimental findings into dynamical models to inform social change interventions.

Thank you guys for your contribution!

Article: https://www.marketing-group-zurich.com/marketing-group-zurich-at-sunbelt-2024/

11/06/2024

The Universität Zürich (UZH) recently celebrated the completion of the second series of the University Research Priority Programs (URPP), which the "URPP " has been part of since 2013. UZH is dedicated to addressing socially relevant problems through strategically selected research areas. The URPP supports the goals of long-term visibility, an interdisciplinary approach, and sustainability in research.

The second series of the URPP includes eight priority programs planned for twelve years, concluding at the end of 2024. During the celebration, Prof. Dr. René Algesheimer, URPP Social Networks Director and Chair of Marketing for Social Impact, delivered a short presentation showcasing the key highlights and achievements of their program. The URPP Social Networks secured significant additional third-party funding, produced numerous publications, and created various networking opportunities. Below, you can watch the speech (in German).

Video: https://youtu.be/ZMHG6ZXEXTM?si=tAzfMaynU_D8RAzg

News: https://www.socialnetworks.uzh.ch/en/news/URPP-Speech-Director.html

The University of Zurich (UZH) recently celebrated the completion of the second series of the University Research Priority Program (URPP), which the Social N...

05/06/2024

The URPP Social Networks group had the opportunity to present at the closing event of the University Research Priority Programs (second series) at the Universität Zürich.

Thanks to all poster contributors:

- Jan Cieciuch, Eldad Davidov, Martin Kindschi, René Algesheimer: A social network approach to value preferences in adolescence.

- Andrea Bublitz, Eli Sugerman, Gergely Nyilasy, Gita Johar: The mere sharing effect: sharing ambiguous information increases truth judgments.

- Andrea Bublitz, Gita Johar: How personalized news feeds aggravate political polarization.

-René Algesheimer, Mingmin Feng, Luca Lazzaro, Manuel Sebastian Mariani, Maria Poiaganova, Radu Tanase, Fei Wang: Bridging the micro-macro divide in social contagion.

News about the event: https://lnkd.in/dgyh5gr5

05/06/2024