2023/08/05 by Bizyaeva, Anastasia, Franci, Alessio, Leonard, Naomi Ehrich · 1 citation
#Dynamical Systems (math.DS) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #FOS: Mathematics #FOS: Physical sciences #Multiagent Systems (cs.MA) #Optimization and Control (math.OC) #Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph) #Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2308.02755
We propose and analyze a nonlinear dynamic model of continuous-time multi-dimensional belief formation over signed social networks. Our model accounts for the effects of a structured belief system, self-appraisal, internal biases, and various sources of cognitive dissonance posited by recent theories in social psychology. We prove that agents become opinionated as a consequence of a bifurcation. We analyze how the balance of social network effects in the model controls the nature of the bifurcation and, therefore, the belief-forming limit-set solutions. Our analysis provides constructive conditions on how multi-stable network belief equilibria and belief oscillations emerging at a belief-forming bifurcation depend on the communication network graph and belief system network graph. Our model and analysis provide new theoretical insights on the dynamics of social systems and a new principled framework for designing decentralized decision-making on engineered networks in the presence of structured relationships among alternatives.