On the Social Structure of an Ocean-Going Research Vessel and Other Important Things

Two essentially different problems are studied in this paper. The first, as the title suggests, is a description of the social structure and conflict aboard an oceanographic research vessel. This structure is described both by ethnographic data and by a new numerical method, which is explained and discussed in detail. The second problem, more in the nature of a preliminary report, is the more abstract one of general human groups. The properties of random and slightly nonrandom groups are discussed, using the above methods, with reference to the interaction of psychological and mathematical limitations on the ability of a person to comprehend fully a large, structured group.