Ozgur Can Seckin, Rachith Aiyappa, Madalina Vlasceanu, Filippo Menczer, Alessandro Flammini, and Yong-Yeol Ahn, Submitted (2026)

arXiv:2604.10251

@article{seckin2026emergence,
    author = {Ozgur Can Seckin and Rachith Aiyappa and Madalina Vlasceanu and Filippo Menczer and Alessandro Flammini and Yong-Yeol Ahn},
    title = {Emergence of Stereotypes and Affective Polarization from Belief Network Dynamics},
    journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.10251},
    year = {2026},
}

How do stereotypes and affective polarization emerge from the dynamics of interconnected beliefs? Using a belief network framework, we show that even neutral concepts can become stereotyped and polarized through the interplay of cognitive coherence and social conformity.

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