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Strategic group formation in agent-based simulation

Authors:

Andrew J. Collins,

Erika FrydenlundAuthors Info & Claims

ADS '16: Proceedings of the Agent-Directed Simulation Symposium

Article No.: 3, Pages 1 - 8

Published: 03 April 2016 Publication History

Abstract

Most often, researchers model crowds as individuals rather than groups with social cohesion. This approach diminishes the impact of altruism and other group-supporting behaviors. For example, in real evacuation scenarios, some people will move counterintuitively towards danger to help friends and loved ones. Current modeling approaches to capture group formation and dynamics lack the strategic element required to model the complexity of human decision-making. Game Theory provides a mechanism to introduce this strategic behavior. This paper shows the investigation into strategic group formation through the introduction of cooperative Game Theory techniques into an agent-based model (ABM). This means looking at the core, nucleolus, and the Shapley value as opposed to Nash Equilibrium. This paper shows some analytical results as well as empirical results from introducing the cooperative group formation into a simple agent-based model. The results indicate the formation of large dominant groups---much like mobs in the real-world. Additionally, heterogeneity can radically change the dynamics of group formation. Empirical results demonstrate that the system does not always reach equilibrium, implying an inherent unstabilizability in the formation of groups. Policymakers could benefit from this research through the greater understanding of how humans navigate the social environment through strategic interactions.

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Cited By

Collins AVernon-Bido DLane J(2017)Individual strategic behavior in a team formation agent-based simulationProceedings of the Agent-Directed Simulation Symposium10.5555/3106078.3106085(1-10)Online publication date: 23-Apr-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3106078.3106085
Collins A(2017)Strategically Forming Groups in the El Farol Bar ProblemProceedings of the 2017 International Conference of The Computational Social Science Society of the Americas10.1145/3145574.3145575(1-6)Online publication date: 19-Oct-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3145574.3145575
Collins AFrydenlund EHuschka TChick S(2016)Agent-based modeling and strategic group formationProceedings of the 2016 Winter Simulation Conference10.5555/3042094.3042262(1289-1300)Online publication date: 11-Dec-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3042094.3042262

Index Terms

Strategic group formation in agent-based simulation
1. Computing methodologies
  1. Modeling and simulation
    1. Model development and analysis

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Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image Guide Proceedings

ADS '16: Proceedings of the Agent-Directed Simulation Symposium

April 2016

94 pages

ISBN:9781510823150

General Chairs:
Levent Yilmaz
Auburn University
,
Tuncer Ören
University of Ottawa, Canada
,
Program Chairs:
Gregory Madey
University of Notre Dame
,
Maarten Sierhuis
Nissan Research Center, Silicon Valley
,
Yu Zhang
Trinity University

Publisher

Society for Computer Simulation International

San Diego, CA, United States

Publication History

Published: 03 April 2016

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Citations

Cited By

Collins AVernon-Bido DLane J(2017)Individual strategic behavior in a team formation agent-based simulationProceedings of the Agent-Directed Simulation Symposium10.5555/3106078.3106085(1-10)Online publication date: 23-Apr-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3106078.3106085
Collins A(2017)Strategically Forming Groups in the El Farol Bar ProblemProceedings of the 2017 International Conference of The Computational Social Science Society of the Americas10.1145/3145574.3145575(1-6)Online publication date: 19-Oct-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3145574.3145575
Collins AFrydenlund EHuschka TChick S(2016)Agent-based modeling and strategic group formationProceedings of the 2016 Winter Simulation Conference10.5555/3042094.3042262(1289-1300)Online publication date: 11-Dec-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3042094.3042262

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