When and How to Imitate Your Neighbours: Lessons from and for FEARLUS

Nicholas M. Gotts () and J. Gary Polhill ()
Additional contact information
Nicholas M. Gotts: http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/staff/staffdetails.php?nickgotts
J. Gary Polhill: http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/staff/staffdetails.php?garypolhill;http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/fearlus

Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 2009, vol. 12

Abstract: This paper summarises some previously published work on imitation, experimentation (or innovation) and aspiration thresholds using the FEARLUS modelling system and reports new work with FEARLUS extending these studies. Results are discussed in the context of existing literature on imitation and innovation in related contexts. A form of imitation in which land uses are selected on the criterion of their recent performance within the neighbourhood of the land parcel concerned (called here 'Best-mean Imitation'), outperforms comparably simple forms of imitation in a wide range of FEARLUS Environments. However, the choice of criterion is shown to interact with both the way the criterion is applied, and the land manager's aspiration threshold: the level of return with which they are satisfied. The implications of work with FEARLUS for the broader bodies of research discussed, and vice versa, are considered.

Keywords: Imitation; Innovation; Aspiration; Land-Use; Spatio-Temporal Heterogeneity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-06-30

Downloads: (external link)
http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/12/3/2/2.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:jas:jasssj:2007-62-3

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation from Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation
Series data maintained by ().