Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.20451 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866916475293401088 |
|---|---|
| author | Wyse, Sarah K. Foxall, Eric |
| author_facet | Wyse, Sarah K. Foxall, Eric |
| contents | The extent to which committed minorities can overturn social conventions is an active area of research in the mathematical modelling of opinion dynamics. Researchers generally use simulations of agent-based models (ABMs) to compute approximate values for the minimum committed minority size needed to overturn a social convention. In this manuscript, we expand on previous work by studying an ABM's mean-field behaviour using ordinary differential equation (ODE) models and a new tool, opinion response functions. Using these methods allows for formal analysis of the deterministic model which can provide a theoretical explanation for observed behaviours, e.g., coexistence or overturning of opinions. In particular, opinion response functions are a method of characterizing the equilibria in our social model. Our analysis confirms earlier numerical results and supplements them with a precise formula for computing the minimum committed minority size required to overturn a social convention. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_20451 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Opinion response functions are key to understanding tipping of social conventions Wyse, Sarah K. Foxall, Eric Physics and Society Dynamical Systems The extent to which committed minorities can overturn social conventions is an active area of research in the mathematical modelling of opinion dynamics. Researchers generally use simulations of agent-based models (ABMs) to compute approximate values for the minimum committed minority size needed to overturn a social convention. In this manuscript, we expand on previous work by studying an ABM's mean-field behaviour using ordinary differential equation (ODE) models and a new tool, opinion response functions. Using these methods allows for formal analysis of the deterministic model which can provide a theoretical explanation for observed behaviours, e.g., coexistence or overturning of opinions. In particular, opinion response functions are a method of characterizing the equilibria in our social model. Our analysis confirms earlier numerical results and supplements them with a precise formula for computing the minimum committed minority size required to overturn a social convention. |
| title | Opinion response functions are key to understanding tipping of social conventions |
| topic | Physics and Society Dynamical Systems |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.20451 |