CoFluences: Simulating the Spread of Social Influences via a Hybrid Agent-Based/Fuzzy Cognitive Maps Architecture

Social influences are key drivers of many human behaviors, and have been the focus of an abundance of discrete simulation models. In participatory modeling, the emphasis is on developing models in an intuitive and transparent manner. Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) provides such an intuitive and transparent process, but it can only simulate the thinking of one entity rather than how entities influence each other. Hybrid architectures based on FCM and Agent Based Modeling (ABM) can bridge this gap, but current software implementing these architectures either restricted the models (e.g., limiting agent heterogeneity by requiring that they all follow the same rules) or required extensive coding (which participatory modeling avoids). In this paper, we contribute to software development by presenting CoFluences, and to the theory of modeling and simulation by better characterizing hybrid ABM/FCM architectures. CoFluences is the first software to develop and simulate hybrid ABM/FCM models in a participatory setting, and where agents can follow different rules. Although we take a User-Centered Design approach to develop CoFluences, a comprehensive usability study will be necessary to fully evaluate it in context. In addition, the growing interest in developing simulation software involving FCM will call for more standardization, and for a better understanding of how an FCM behaves in a hybrid simulation.