241,396 research outputs found
Multi-choice opinion dynamics model based on Latane theory
In this paper Nowak--Szamrej-Latan\'e model is reconsidered. This
computerised model of opinion formation bases on Latan\'e theory of social
impact. We modify this model to allow for multi (more than two) opinions. With
computer simulations we show that in the modified model the signatures of
order/disorder phase transition are still observed. The transition may be
observed in the average fraction of actors sharing the -th opinion, its
variation and also average number of clusters of actors with the same opinion
and the average size of the largest cluster of actors sharing the same opinion.
Also an influence of model control parameters on simulation results is shortly
reviewed. For a homogeneous society with identical actors' supportiveness and
persuasiveness the critical social temperature decreases with an increase
of available opinions from () via 4.7, 4.1 to for
, 4, 5, respectively.Comment: 12 page
Coordination of Decisions in a Spatial Agent Model
For a binary choice problem, the spatial coordination of decisions in an
agent community is investigated both analytically and by means of stochastic
computer simulations. The individual decisions are based on different local
information generated by the agents with a finite lifetime and disseminated in
the system with a finite velocity. We derive critical parameters for the
emergence of minorities and majorities of agents making opposite decisions and
investigate their spatial organization. We find that dependent on two essential
parameters describing the local impact and the spatial dissemination of
information, either a definite stable minority/majority relation
(single-attractor regime) or a broad range of possible values (multi-attractor
regime) occurs. In the latter case, the outcome of the decision process becomes
rather diverse and hard to predict, both with respect to the share of the
majority and their spatial distribution. We further investigate how a
dissemination of information on different time scales affects the outcome of
the decision process. We find that a more ``efficient'' information exchange
within a subpopulation provides a suitable way to stabilize their majority
status and to reduce ``diversity'' and uncertainty in the decision process.Comment: submitted for publication in Physica A (31 pages incl. 17 multi-part
figures
The undecided have the key: Interaction-driven opinion dynamics in a three state model
The effects of interpersonal interactions on individual's agreements result
in a social aggregation process which is reflected in the formation of
collective states, as for instance, groups of individuals with a similar
opinion about a given issue. This field, which has been a longstanding concern
of sociologists and psychologists, has been extended into an area of
experimental social psychology, and even has attracted the attention of
physicists and mathematicians. In this article, we present a novel model of
opinion formation in which agents may either have a strict preference for a
choice, or be undecided. The opinion shift emerges during interpersonal
communications, as a consequence of a cumulative process of conviction for one
of the two extremes opinions through repeated interactions. There are two main
ingredients which play key roles in determining the steady state: the initial
fraction of undecided agents and the conviction's sensitivity in each
interaction. As a function of these two parameters, the model presents a wide
range of possible solutions, as for instance, consensus of each opinion,
bi-polarisation or convergence of undecided individuals. We found that a
minimum fraction of undecided agents is crucial not only for reaching consensus
of a given opinion, but also to determine a dominant opinion in a polarised
situation. In order to gain a deeper comprehension of the dynamics, we also
present the theoretical master equations of the model.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure
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