Opinion dynamics in multi-agent systems: selected analytic models and verifying simulations

Stefania Monica () and Federico Bergenti
Additional contact information
Stefania Monica: Università degli Studi di Parma
Federico Bergenti: Università degli Studi di Parma

Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, 2017, vol. 23, issue 3, No 6, 423-450

Abstract: Abstract In this paper opinion dynamics in multi-agent systems is investigated analytically using a kinetic approach. Interactions among agents are interpreted as collisions among molecules in gases and opinion dynamics is described according to the Boltzmann equation. Starting from a microscopic description of single interactions, global properties of the opinion distribution are derived analytically. The proposed analytic model is general enough to allow reproducing features of real societies of agents, such as positive and negative influences and bounded confidence, which are typically used to study opinion distribution models. Analytic results relative to emergent and global characteristics of considered multi-agent systems are verified by simulations obtained via direct implementation of the proposed microscopic interactions rules. Simulations confirm analytic results.

Keywords: Opinion dynamics; Kinetic theory; Multi-agent systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10588-016-9235-z Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

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: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:comaot:v:23:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10588-016-9235-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/10588

DOI: 10.1007/s10588-016-9235-z

Access Statistics for this article

Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory is currently edited by Terrill Frantz and Kathleen Carley

More articles in Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().