Dynamics of behavioral spreading with sensitivity switch in social contagion

Zengping Zhang, Tianqi Zhang, Xuzhen Zhu and Wei Wang

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2025, vol. 676, issue C

Abstract: In real-world social interactions, individuals always exhibit different sensitivity to behavioral information due to the overload effect. Individuals are initially exposed to information with a high sensitivity. However, as the information accumulates, their sensitivity tends to attenuate. Additionally, individuals are constrained by finite resources (e.g., time and energy), they may not be able to dedicate themselves to information transmission within a short period. The sensitivity switch plays a key role in behavioral adoption. To understand this mechanism of behavior spreading, here we propose a memory SAR model with an adoption response function and a limited contact capacity, to account for the sensitivity switch and the finite resources, respectively. We then define a signal on the edges of the complex networked system and analyze the model using a developed edge-signal decomposition method. And the theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the simulated experimental results. Theory and simulation reveal that the system has rich dynamical behaviors. The sensitivity switch induces a crossover transition of behavior spreading. When sensitivity switch becomes strong, the dependency of behavior spreading displays a continuous second-order phase transition on the information transmission probability. While the sensitivity switch weakens, the order parameter of system shows a discontinuous first-order transition. Interestingly, the crossover transition senses also to the speed of sensitivity switch, which higher speed induces explosive spreading. Moreover, the structure of weak-heterogeneity is easier to generate the explosive transition pathway, and the contact capacity improves the behavioral spreading.

Keywords: Social contagion; Sensitivity switch; Adoption response function; Phase transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:676:y:2025:i:c:s0378437125005187

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2025.130866

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