Stanley Milgram's Small World Experiment Came to the Remarkable Conclusion

question 57

Essay

Stanley Milgram's small world experiment came to the remarkable conclusion that people in the United States are linked to all other people in the country through chains of relationships that are, on average, only six links long. How does social structure influence how many people someone is effectively connected to and the number of links that may be necessary to establish a network contact?

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Definitions:

Aversive Conditioning

A method of altering behavior that utilizes negative stimuli to deter unwanted actions.

Alcoholism

A chronic disease characterized by uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol, leading to physical, emotional, and societal problems.

Negative Transference

A phenomenon in psychotherapy where the patient projects feelings of deep-seated anger, fear, or mistrust onto the therapist, rooted in previous experiences.

Behavioral Contracting

A therapeutic technique involving an agreement between parties to reinforce desired behaviors.