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Proclivity Or Popularity? Exploring Agent Heterogeneity In Network Formation, Xiaotian Wang
Proclivity Or Popularity? Exploring Agent Heterogeneity In Network Formation, Xiaotian Wang
Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations
The Barabasi-Albert model (BA model) is the standard algorithm used to describe the emergent mechanism of a scale-free network. This dissertation argues that the BA model, and its variants, rarely take agent heterogeneity into account in the analysis of network formation. In social networks, however, people's decisions to connect are strongly affected by the extent of similarity. In this dissertation, the author applies an agent-based modeling (ABM) approach to reassess the Barabasi-Albert model. This study proposes that, in forming social networks, agents are constantly balancing between instrumental and intrinsic preferences. After systematic simulation and subsequent analysis, this study finds that …