Re: Are there theorems for Agent Based Models

[Kevin Crowston]

At 3:37 PM -0500 7/12/99, Sven N. Thommesen wrote:

> I believe Huberman and Glance had a
> paper where they investigated just this
> difference, and they discovered that doing it in way #2 overturned
> previous
> results achieved with way #1. Their
> conclusion was that it makes a Big
> Difference how you arrange the order of
> actions.
> I'll dig out the reference if you need
> it.

I think it's

Huberman, B. A. and Glance, N. S.  (1993).  Evolutionary games and computer simulations.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 90(August), 7716-7718.

If I'm remember correctly, they reran a simulation that produced nice ever-evolving patterns when run in way #1, I think having to do with agents who were cooperative managing to survive even when surrounded by non-cooperative agents (a nice story).  When run in way #2, the non-cooperators took over completely (a sad story--at least, if my memory is accurate--but one that seems a bit more likely).  And as Sven says, a Big Difference in results.

Kevin Crowston                         
Syracuse University                    
School of Information Studies         
4-206 Centre for Science and Technology
Syracuse, NY   13244-4100