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element would cause greater concern than elsewhere. The weightings of thai factor in influencing Ihe evalu- ation by thai group wouid be much greater. Coupled with this value, a threat to it would bring about far greater sensitivity and a concomitant expansion of action. Threshold Level The interest of the public OJ of a special inlerest group may not be stirred until an effect reaches a cer- tain "threshold level." This level needs to be reached before a group cares enough to act. The phenomena of expansion effecl and thres- hold level for special interest groups are handled in the model by selling minimum values on each of the Ac- ceptance Functions associaled with proposal character- istics in the equation for public evaluation. It is as- sumed that an aclion will not be blocked unless the value characteristic falls below a certain Ihreshold level. The selling of these levels, one for each faclor about which special inleresl opposition may develop, is part of model calibration from experience data. The assumption thai an agency plan would not be blocked unless sufficient opposition occurs is not theorelically in accord with mulliple objective plan- ning where altemalive plans are also evaluated. But il is funclional since alternate infers a besl or preferred plan. Threshold values could also be established to indicale promotion of a plan by a special interest group. This might reinforce the previous positive evalu- alion of a proposal by the decision agency, but it would not change Ihe basic direction of approval or rejection nor remove a deleterious effect on some other factor about which strong opposilion may focus. Such an additional disapproval may be sufficient 10 cause rejection. Acceptance is a function of the de- gree of opposition and degree of favorability. Concen- tration was placed on opposition by setting minimum levels of acceptability on Ihe Acceplance Function. ss