Agent-based models of bounded rationality

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 2-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Secchi
Keyword(s):  
Bounded Rationality ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Team Research ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
To Come

Purpose The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the Special Issue “Agent-Based Models of Bounded Rationality” and to provide an overview of its rationale and main objectives. Design/methodology/approach After outlining the overall framework to justify the choice of agent-based modeling in relation to bounded rationality, an overview of the six papers published in the Special Issue is presented. Findings The paper argues that simulation of complex adaptive social systems is a way to set the ground for updating the concept of bounded rationality and prepare for it to still play a significant role in the years to come. Originality/value After its introduction, bounded rationality remained mostly used but seldom discussed in both its assumptions and its meaning. The originality of this introduction is to unveil some of the points that keep rationality still at the core of organization and team research.

scholarly journals Improving agent-based models of diffusion

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 639-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert East ◽  
Mark D. Uncles ◽  
Jenni Romaniuk ◽  
Wendy Lomax
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Diffusion Modeling ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Made In

Purpose This paper aims to review the validation of assumptions made in agent-based modeling of diffusion and the sufficiency (completeness) of the mechanisms assumed to operate. Design/methodology/approach One well-cited paper is examined. Findings Evidence is presented that casts doubt on the assumptions and mechanisms used. A range of mechanisms is suggested that should be evaluated for inclusion in diffusion modeling. Originality/value The need for validation of assumptions has been stressed elsewhere but there has been a lack of examples. This paper provides examples. The stress on the sufficiency of the mechanisms used is new.

scholarly journals A Novel Formal Agent-Based Simulation Modeling Framework of an AIDS Complex Adaptive System

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amnah Siddiqa ◽  
Muaz Niazi
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Formal Specification ◽  
Simulation Modeling ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Agent Based Simulation ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Complex Adaptive

HIV/AIDS spread depends upon complex patterns of interaction among various subsets emerging at population level. This added complexity makes it difficult to study and model AIDS and its dynamics. AIDS is therefore a natural candidate to be modeled using agent-based modeling, a paradigm well-known for modeling Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS). While agent-based models are well-known to effectively model CAS, often times models can tend to be ambiguous and using only using text-based specifications (such as ODD) making models difficult to be replicated. Previous work has shown how formal specification may be used in conjunction with agent-based modeling to develop models of various CAS. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such model has been developed in conjunction with AIDS. In this paper, we present a Formal Agent-Based Simulation modeling framework (FABS-AIDS) for an AIDS-based CAS. FABS-AIDS employs the use of a formal specification model in conjunction with an agent-based model to reduce ambiguity as well as improve clarity in the model definition. The proposed model demonstrates the effectiveness of using formal specification in conjunction with agent-based simulation for developing models of CAS in general and, social network-based agent-based models, in particular.

Agent-Based Models

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Heaton ◽  
Abdulrahman El-Sayed ◽  
Sandro Galea
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Autonomous Agents ◽  
Complex Adaptive System ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Adaptive Processes ◽  
Neighborhoods And Health

Agent-based modeling is a newer approach to the study of neighborhoods and health. In brief, an agent-based model is one of a class of computational models for simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous agents (both individual or collective entities, such as organizations or groups) with a view to assessing their effects on the system as a whole. Neighborhood characteristics and resources evolve and adapt as the individuals living within them change and vice versa. In this way, neighborhoods reflect a complex adaptive system. In this chapter, we introduce agent-based models as a tool for modeling these interactive and adaptive processes that occur within a system, such as a neighborhood. The chapter provides a basic introduction to this method, drawing on examples from the neighborhoods and health literature.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Agent-Based Models for Economic Policy Advice

2008 ◽  
Vol 228 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake LeBaron ◽  
Peter Winker
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Policy Advice ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Heterogenous Agents

SummaryThis special issue of the Journal of Economics and Statistics is devoted to the use of agent-based models for economic policy advice. It presents a collection of research papers in different fields of applications. Special emphasis is laid on discussing the potential and possible limitations of agent-based models for economic policy advice. The editorial provides an overview on the role of agent-based modeling in economic policy referring also to the papers presented. Furthermore, it highlights the strength of the approach, i.e., the explicit microfoundation and the modeling of heterogenous agents. Finally, we also report on current limitations of the method with regard to economic policy advice and point at some areas deserving further research.

Theory building via agent-based modeling in public administration research: vindications and limitations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taehyon Choi ◽  
Shinae Park
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Thought Experiment ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Introductory Overview ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
To Come

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to provide an overview of agent-based modeling as an alternative method for public administration research. It is focused on encouraging public administration scholars to come to better understanding of the method.Design/methodology/approachThis article performed a comprehensive review of methodological issues relative to agent-based modeling.FindingsAfter reviewing the current research themes in public administration and the methodological nature of agent-based modeling, we found that agent-based modeling can help researchers to advance theories by means of sophisticated thought experiment which is not possible by formal modeling and verbal reasoning. We also pointed out that agent-based modeling does not substitute empirical research, but can add much value through being part of a mixed-method and multidisciplinary research.Practical implicationsWe suggested that interested researchers may need to take a strategic approach in developing and describing a pertinent model and reporting its results.Originality/valueAgent-based modeling has rarely been used in public administration research. The article provides an introductory overview for researchers not familiar with ABM and suggests to the academic community future venues that would unfold from agent-based modeling.

A case for agent-based models in organizational behavior and team research

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 37-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Secchi
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Past ◽  
Team Research ◽  
Software Platforms ◽  
User Friendly

Purpose – This paper aims at introducing agent-based models (ABMs) and reviews some of their features in an attempt to show why they can be useful for organizational behavior research. Design/methodology/approach – The use of simulations has increased substantially in the past ten to fifteen years, but management seems to hold back to the agent-based “revolution”. The paper first describes the ABMs, and then discusses some of the issues that usually prevent management scholars from using simulations. Findings – This paper indicates how an agent-based approach can help overcome the hesitations surrounding computer simulations because (a) it makes it relatively easy to model emergent and complex social phenomena, and (b) simulation is made easier by user-friendly software platforms that connect it to the existing research methods. Originality/value – This article describes ABMs in a way that may be attractive to organization scholars, and it depicts the frontiers of a more flexible computational and mathematical approach to organizations, management and teams.

scholarly journals Agent-Based Modeling Demonstrates How Local Chemotactic Behavior Can Shape Biofilm Architecture

mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily G. Sweeney ◽  
Andrew Nishida ◽  
Alexandra Weston ◽  
Maria S. Bañuelos ◽  
Kristin Potter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Emergent Properties ◽  
Cellular Interactions ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACTBacteria are often found living in aggregated multicellular communities known as biofilms. Biofilms are three-dimensional structures that confer distinct physical and biological properties to the collective of cells living within them. We used agent-based modeling to explore whether local cellular interactions were sufficient to give rise to global structural features of biofilms. Specifically, we asked whether chemorepulsion from a self-produced quorum-sensing molecule, autoinducer-2 (AI-2), was sufficient to recapitulate biofilm growth and cellular organization observed for biofilms ofHelicobacter pylori, a common bacterial resident of human stomachs. To carry out this modeling, we modified an existing platform, Individual-based Dynamics of Microbial Communities Simulator (iDynoMiCS), to incorporate three-dimensional chemotaxis, planktonic cells that could join or leave the biofilm structure, and cellular production of AI-2. We simulated biofilm growth of previously characterizedH. pyloristrains with various AI-2 production and sensing capacities. Using biologically plausible parameters, we were able to recapitulate both the variation in biofilm mass and cellular distributions observed with these strains. Specifically, the strains that were competent to chemotax away from AI-2 produced smaller and more heterogeneously spaced biofilms, whereas the AI-2 chemotaxis-defective strains produced larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. The model also provided new insights into the cellular demographics contributing to the biofilm patterning of each strain. Our analysis supports the idea that cellular interactions at small spatial and temporal scales are sufficient to give rise to larger-scale emergent properties of biofilms.IMPORTANCEMost bacteria exist in aggregated, three-dimensional structures called biofilms. Although biofilms play important ecological roles in natural and engineered settings, they can also pose societal problems, for example, when they grow in plumbing systems or on medical implants. Understanding the processes that promote the growth and disassembly of biofilms could lead to better strategies to manage these structures. We had previously shown thatHelicobacter pyloribacteria are repulsed by high concentrations of a self-produced molecule, AI-2, and thatH. pylorimutants deficient in AI-2 sensing form larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. Here, we used computer simulations of biofilm formation to show that localH. pyloribehavior of repulsion from high AI-2 could explain the overall architecture ofH. pyloribiofilms. Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to change global biofilm organization by manipulating local cell behaviors, which suggests that simple strategies targeting cells at local scales could be useful for controlling biofilms in industrial and medical settings.

scholarly journals Agent Based Models of Polymicrobial Biofilms and the Microbiome—A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 417
Author(s):  
Sherli Koshy-Chenthittayil ◽  
Linda Archambault ◽  
Dhananjai Senthilkumar ◽  
Reinhard Laubenbacher ◽  
Pedro Mendes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Autonomous Agent ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Mucosal Surfaces ◽  
Living Organisms

The human microbiome has been a focus of intense study in recent years. Most of the living organisms comprising the microbiome exist in the form of biofilms on mucosal surfaces lining our digestive, respiratory, and genito-urinary tracts. While health-associated microbiota contribute to digestion, provide essential nutrients, and protect us from pathogens, disturbances due to illness or medical interventions contribute to infections, some that can be fatal. Myriad biological processes influence the make-up of the microbiota, for example: growth, division, death, and production of extracellular polymers (EPS), and metabolites. Inter-species interactions include competition, inhibition, and symbiosis. Computational models are becoming widely used to better understand these interactions. Agent-based modeling is a particularly useful computational approach to implement the various complex interactions in microbial communities when appropriately combined with an experimental approach. In these models, each cell is represented as an autonomous agent with its own set of rules, with different rules for each species. In this review, we will discuss innovations in agent-based modeling of biofilms and the microbiota in the past five years from the biological and mathematical perspectives and discuss how agent-based models can be further utilized to enhance our comprehension of the complex world of polymicrobial biofilms and the microbiome.

scholarly journals Towards a Validation Methodology for Macroeconomic Agent-Based Models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastiaan Tieleman
Keyword(s):  
Emergent Properties ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Important Distinction ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Model Classification ◽  
Classification Framework ◽  
The Difference ◽  
To Come

AbstractAgent-based models provide a promising new tool in macroeconomic research. Questions have been raised, however, regarding the validity of such models. A methodology of macroeconomic agent-based model (MABM) validation, that provides a deeper understanding of validation practices, is required. This paper takes steps towards such a methodology by connecting three elements. First, is a foundation of model validation in general. Second is a classification of models dependent on how the model is validated. An important distinction in this classification is the difference between mechanism and target validation. Third, is a framework that revolves around the relationship between the structure of models of complex systems with emergent properties and validation in practice. Important in this framework is to consider MABMs as modelling multiple non-trivial levels. Connecting these three elements provides us with a methodology of the validation of MABMs and allows us to come to the following conclusions regarding MABM validation. First, in MABMs, mechanisms at a lower level are distinct from, but provide input to higher levels of mechanisms. Since mechanisms at different levels are validated in different ways we can come to a specific characterization of MABMs within the model classification framework. Second, because the mechanisms of MABMs are validated in a direct way at the level of the agent, MABMs can be seen as a move towards a more realist approach to modelling compared to DSGE.

Use of a sonification system for science learning by people who are blind

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 187-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orly Lahav ◽  
Nuha Chagab ◽  
Vadim Talis
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
K 12

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine a central need of students who are blind: the ability to access science curriculum content. Design/methodology/approach Agent-based modeling is a relatively new computational modeling paradigm that models complex dynamic systems. NetLogo is a widely used agent-based modeling language that enables exploration and construction of models of complex systems by programming and running the rules and behaviors. Sonification of variables and events in an agent-based NetLogo computer model of gas in a container is used to convey phenomena information. This study examined mainly two research topics: the scientific conceptual knowledge and systems reasoning that were learned as a result of interaction with the listen-to-complexity (L2C) environment as appeared in answers to the pre- and post-tests and the learning topics of kinetic molecular theory of gas in chemistry that was learned as a result of interaction with the L2C environment. The case study research focused on A., a woman who is adventitiously blind, for eight sessions. Findings The participant successfully completed all curricular assignments; her scientific conceptual knowledge and systems reasoning became more specific and aligned with scientific knowledge. Practical implications A practical implication of further studies is that they are likely to have an impact on the accessibility of learning materials, especially in science education for students who are blind, as equal access to low-cost learning environments that are equivalent to those used by sighted users would support their inclusion in the K-12 academic curriculum. Originality/value The innovative and low-cost learning system that is used in this research is based on transmittal of visual information of dynamic and complex systems, providing perceptual compensation by harnessing auditory feedback. For the first time the L2C system is based on sound that represents a dynamic rather than a static array. In this study, the authors explore how a combination of several auditory representations may affect cognitive learning ability.

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