2 Social Embeddedness

2.3 Checking for Social Embeddedness

Given the presence of social embeddedness can have practical consequences on the modelled social behaviour, then it can be checked for. This is particularly so for a model of artificial agents, because the data is fully available, but it also means it is necessary to specify the modelling framework and selection criteria first.

Let us suppose that our criteria for model goodness are complexity and explanatory power. By explanatory power, I mean the extent of the phenomena that the model describes. Thus there is a familiar trade-off between explanatory power and complexity in our modelling of our simulation [14]. If two descriptions of the simulation are functionally the same, the social embeddedness comes out as a difference between the complexity of the models at the agent and social levels.

In the model below we will use a rough measure of the social embeddedness based on where most of the computation takes place that determines an agent's communication and action. This will be indicated by the proportion of nodes which preform an external reference to the individual actions of other agents to those nodes that preform internal calculations (logical, arithmetic, statistical etc.).

Social Embeddedness and Agent Development - Bruce Edmonds - 30 OCT 98

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