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A New Framework for ABMs Based on
Argumentative Reasoning
Simone Gabbriellini and Paolo Torroni
DISI, University of Bologna
Viale del Risorgimento, 2
40136, Bologna - Italy
{
simone.gabbriellini,paolo.torroni
}
@unibo.it
Abstract.
We present an argumentative approach to agent-based mod-
eling where agents are socially embedded and exchange information by
means of simulated dialogues. We argue that this approach can be ben-
eficial in social simulations, allowing for a better representation of agent
reasoning, that is also accessible to the non computer science savvy, thus
filling a gap between scholars that use BDI frameworks and scholars who
do not in social sciences.
Keywords:
Agent based social simulation, behavioral models, abstract
argumentation, social networks, opinion dynamics.
1
Introduction
ABMs within the social sciences can be classified into two streams of research:
(
a
) a first stream that uses mathematical approaches; (
b
) a second stream that
uses formal logics and BDI frameworks.
Analytical, generative and computational sociologists advocate ABMs to
model social interactions with a finer-grained realism and to explore micro-macro
links [20]. As a result, there are many proposals for ABMs of social phenomena,
such as human hierarchies [26], trust evolution [19], cooperation [4], cultural
differentiation [5] and collective behaviors [17]. All these models belong to the
first stream and share at least two common features: (
a
) a network representa-
tion [27] to mimic social embeddedness; (
b
) a preference for mathematical, game
theoretical or evolutionary computing techniques. In all these models, agents do,
in fact, interact socially within a large population, but very little explicit reason-
ing is done. The second stream is focused on how social agents should reason,
and it encompasses models of trust [11], cognitive representations[12] and norms
evolution and evaluation [2]. These models usually rely on formal logics
1
and
BDI frameworks [24] to represent agent opinions, tasks and decision-making ca-
pabilities. What emerges from this duality is that ABM in social sciences always
This paper is an extended version of the short paper accepted by AAMAS 2013 [14].
1
The relevance of logic in social simulations is an open issue, with both detractors
and supporters [10].
