Latest reseach
Simplification Is Not Dominant in the Evolution of Chinese Characters
Abstract Linguistic systems are hypothesised to be shaped by pressures towards communicative efficiency that drive processes of simplification. A longstanding illustration of this idea is the claim that Chinese characters have progressively simplified over time. Here we test this claim by analyzing a dataset with more than half a million Read more…
Latest reseach
National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic
Abstract Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., Read more…
Latest reseach
Case Study : The Power of Virtual Communities
During 2020, the Governance Lab interviewed leaders of 50 Facebook groups and 26 global academic and industry experts for this study of the governance and leadership of Facebook groups. This work was funded by a grant from Facebook and conducted in partnership with Facebook’s Community Partnerships team. Executive Summary Online Read more…
Latest reseach
Writing, graphic codes, and asynchronous communication
Abstract We present a theoretical framework bearing on the evolution of written communication. We analyze writing as a special kind of graphic code. Like languages, graphic codes consist of stable, conventional mappings between symbols and meanings, but (unlike spoken or signed languages) their symbols consist of enduring images. This gives Read more…