Rainer Hegselmann and Ulrich Krause: Opinion dynamics and bounded confidence models, analysis and simulation

Rainer Hegselmann and Ulrich Krause (2002)

Opinion dynamics and bounded confidence:
models, analysis and simulation

Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation vol. 5, no. 3
<https://www.jasss.org/5/3/2.html>

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Received: 31-Jan-2002 Accepted: 10-Apr-2002 Published: 30-Jun-2002

Abstract

When does opinion formation within an interacting group lead to consensus, polarization or fragmentation? The article investigates various models for the dynamics of continuous opinions by analytical methods as well as by computer simulations. Section 2 develops within a unified framework the classical model of consensus formation, the variant of this model due to Friedkin and Johnsen, a time-dependent version and a nonlinear version with bounded confidence of the agents. Section 3 presents for all these models major analytical results. Section 4 gives an extensive exploration of the nonlinear model with bounded confidence by a series of computer simulations. An appendix supplies needed mathematical definitions, tools, and theorems.
Keywords:: Bounded Confidence; Consensus/dissent; Nonlinear Dynamical; Opinion Dynamics

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