Probabilistic analysis of agent-based opinion formation models

Bibliographic Details
Title: Probabilistic analysis of agent-based opinion formation models
Authors: Carlos Andres Devia, Giulia Giordano
Source: Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-17 (2023)
Publisher Information: Nature Portfolio, 2023.
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: LCC:Medicine
LCC:Science
Subject Terms: Medicine, Science
More Details: Abstract When agent-based models are developed to capture opinion formation in large-scale populations, the opinion update equations often need to embed several complex psychological traits. The resulting models are more realistic, but also challenging to assess analytically, and hence numerical analysis techniques have an increasing importance in their study. Here, we propose the Qualitative Outcome Likelihood (QOL) analysis, a novel probabilistic analysis technique aimed to unravel behavioural patterns and properties of agent-based opinion formation models, and to characterise possible outcomes when only limited information is available. The QOL analysis reveals which qualitative categories of opinion distributions a model can produce, brings to light their relation to model features such as initial conditions, agent parameters and underlying digraph, and allows us to compare the behaviour of different opinion formation models. We exemplify the proposed technique by applying it to four opinion formation models: the classical Friedkin-Johnsen model and Bounded Confidence model, as well as the recently proposed Backfire Effect and Biased Assimilation model and Classification-based model.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2045-2322
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46789-3
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/93edaddf754542cea082c15d5156a0f5
Accession Number: edsdoj.93edaddf754542cea082c15d5156a0f5
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
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More Details
ISSN:20452322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-46789-3
Published in:Scientific Reports
Language:English