Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based Simulation
Social relationships such as friendship and partner choice are ruled by the proximity principle, which states that the more similar two individuals are, the more likely they will become friends. However, proximity, similarity, and friendship are concepts with blurred edges and imprecise grades of me...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2011-01-01
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| Series: | Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/765640 |
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| _version_ | 1832545542872236032 |
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| author | Samer Hassan Mauricio Salgado Juan Pavón |
| author_facet | Samer Hassan Mauricio Salgado Juan Pavón |
| author_sort | Samer Hassan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social relationships such as friendship and partner choice are ruled by the proximity principle, which states that the more similar two individuals are, the more likely they will become
friends. However, proximity, similarity, and friendship are concepts with blurred edges and imprecise grades of membership.
This study shows how to simulate these friendship dynamics in an agent-based model that applies fuzzy sets theory to implement agent attributes, rules, and social relationships, explaining the process in detail. Although in principle it may be thought that the use of fuzzy sets theory makes agent-based modelling more elaborated, in practice it saves the modeller from taking some arbitrary decisions on how to use crisp values for representing properties that are inherently fuzzy. The consequences of applying fuzzy sets and operations to define a fuzzy friendship relationship are compared with a simpler implementation, with crisp values. By integrating agent computational models and fuzzy set theory, this paper provides useful insights into scholars and practitioners to tackle the uncertainty inherent to social relationships in a systematic way. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c997f7b650b34cfba1605b3b91dfaf77 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1026-0226 1607-887X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-c997f7b650b34cfba1605b3b91dfaf772025-02-03T07:25:32ZengWileyDiscrete Dynamics in Nature and Society1026-02261607-887X2011-01-01201110.1155/2011/765640765640Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based SimulationSamer Hassan0Mauricio Salgado1Juan Pavón2Grupo de Investigación en Agentes Software: Ingeniería y Aplicaciones (GRASIA), Departamento de Ingeniería del Software e Inteligencia Artificial, Universidad Complutense Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainCentre for Research in Social Simulation (CRESS), Department of Sociology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UKGrupo de Investigación en Agentes Software: Ingeniería y Aplicaciones (GRASIA), Departamento de Ingeniería del Software e Inteligencia Artificial, Universidad Complutense Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainSocial relationships such as friendship and partner choice are ruled by the proximity principle, which states that the more similar two individuals are, the more likely they will become friends. However, proximity, similarity, and friendship are concepts with blurred edges and imprecise grades of membership. This study shows how to simulate these friendship dynamics in an agent-based model that applies fuzzy sets theory to implement agent attributes, rules, and social relationships, explaining the process in detail. Although in principle it may be thought that the use of fuzzy sets theory makes agent-based modelling more elaborated, in practice it saves the modeller from taking some arbitrary decisions on how to use crisp values for representing properties that are inherently fuzzy. The consequences of applying fuzzy sets and operations to define a fuzzy friendship relationship are compared with a simpler implementation, with crisp values. By integrating agent computational models and fuzzy set theory, this paper provides useful insights into scholars and practitioners to tackle the uncertainty inherent to social relationships in a systematic way.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/765640 |
| spellingShingle | Samer Hassan Mauricio Salgado Juan Pavón Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based Simulation Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society |
| title | Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based Simulation |
| title_full | Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based Simulation |
| title_fullStr | Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based Simulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based Simulation |
| title_short | Friendship Dynamics: Modelling Social Relationships through a Fuzzy Agent-Based Simulation |
| title_sort | friendship dynamics modelling social relationships through a fuzzy agent based simulation |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/765640 |
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