Rebels Lead to the Doctrine of the Mean:A Heterogeneous DeGroot Model

(整期优先)网络出版时间:2018-06-16
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TheDeGrootmodelisoneofthemostclassicalmodelsinthefieldofopiniondynamics.ThestandardDeGrootmodelassumesthatagentsarehomogeneousandupdatetheiropinionsinthedirectionofaweightedaverageoftheirneighbors'opinions.Onenaturalquestioniswhetherasecondtypeofagentscouldsignificantlychangethemainpropertiesofthemodel.Theauthorsaddressthisquestionbyintroducingrebels,whoupdatetheiropinionstowardtheoppositeoftheirneighbors'weightedaverage.Theauthorsfindthattheexistenceofrebelsremarkablyaffectstheopiniondynamics.Undercertainmildconditions,theexistenceofafewrebelswillleadthegroupopiniontothegoldenmean,regardlessoftheinitialopinionsoftheagentsandthestructureofthelearningnetwork.ThisresultiscompletelydifferentfromthatofthestandardDeGrootmodel,wherethefinalconsensusopinionisdeterminedbyboththeinitialopinionsandthelearningtopology.Thestudythenprovidesnewinsightsintounderstandinghowheterogeneousinpidualsinagroupreachconsensusandwhythegoldenmeanissocommoninhumansociety.