influence
Let an agent handle influence by source, target, mechanism and strength of evidence, and separate correlation from causation.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Relation Who influences whom.
Parties
Source and target.
Parties
Source and target.
- What influences what? definition
- Through which mechanism? definition
Size
Effect size.
Size
Effect size.
- How large is the effect? measurement
- In which direction? definition
Evidence Causation.
Causation
Tests.
Causation
Causal evidence.
- Is there evidence of causation, not just correlation? provenance
- Which study design? provenance
Confounders
Alternatives.
Confounders
Confounders.
- What other factors could explain the effect? boundary
- Were they controlled? provenance
Social Persuasion.
Disclosure
Advertising.
Disclosure
Disclosure.
- Is paid influence disclosed? boundary
- Under which rules? provenance
Ethics
Manipulation.
Ethics
Ethics.
- Is the influence manipulative? boundary
- Who is vulnerable? boundary
Physical Perturbation.
Perturbation
Systems.
Perturbation
Perturbation.
- How does the perturbation change the system? definition
- Is it small enough to linearise? boundary
Senses
Disambiguation.
Senses
Other senses.
- Is leverage or purchase in the mechanical sense meant? boundary
- Which entry fits? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- noun.phenomenon
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.FLW
- Facets: substance
- energy
- Facets: origin
- natural
- Facets: agency
- inert
- Facets: mobility
- not-applicable
- Facets: scale
- not-applicable
- Facets: affordances
- observable
- Other names and narrower kinds
- perturbation, variation, purchase
What it is Filled
The effect of one thing or person on another, including physical perturbation, variation caused by a factor, and social influence through persuasion or example.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle influence by source, target, mechanism and strength of evidence, and separate correlation from causation.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Effect of one thing on another
- Physical or social
- Needs evidence of causation
- Size and direction vary
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Use covert or deceptive persuasion to change a person's beliefs or choices.
- Present correlation as proof of influence.
- Exploit known vulnerabilities, such as addiction or grief, to influence people.
- Hide who is behind an influence campaign.
Only with a human decision
- Running a campaign meant to change many people's views or behaviour.
May
- Explain how one factor affects another and estimate the effect with stated uncertainty.
- Describe forms of social influence such as persuasion and example.
Moral aspects Filled
- Influence is legitimate when open and respectful of choice, and manipulation when it is not.
- Mass influence can distort public debate and elections.
Who is affected
- People being influenced
- The public and voters
- Researchers measuring effects
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the concept; whoever exerts an influence answers for it.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- oewn-11430739-n - registry parent class
related
- causal relation - category
- causation - concept
- statistics and social psychology - fields
- correlation - weaker relation
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.influence-phenomenon
- Open English WordNet: oewn-11434722-n
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Influence is a general causal relationship spanning physical and social settings, so it has no shared set of intrinsic physical properties.
Recognition required Filled
- Changes following a factor
- Perturbations in physical systems
- Persuasion and example in social contexts
- Not an object; a relation seen through its effects.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- identify influencing factors
- estimate effect size
- test for causation
- describe social influence ethically
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Mistaking correlation for influence
- Undisclosed persuasion
- Manipulation
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Rules on undisclosed advertising and influencer marketing
- Lobbying registers
Context of use required Filled
- Describing cause and effect relations in nature and society.
- physical perturbation
- statistical effects of factors
- social influence and persuasion
- cultural influence
- influence operations (information sense)
Sources Filled
- Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-11434722-n - sense and gloss of the concept
- Wiktionary: influence - word senses and usage
Open questions
- Should physical and social influence be separate entries?
- How should evidence strength be recorded?
- How should influence operations be linked?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-influence-phenomenon/spec.json