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A Second-Order Adaptive Network Model for Political Opinion Dynamics

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Artificial Intelligence Applications and Innovations (AIAI 2024)

Part of the book series: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology ((IFIPAICT,volume 713))

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Abstract

This paper introduces a second-order adaptive network model for simulating political opinion dynamics, considering cognitive, affective, and social factors. The model, grounded in political psychology and communication theories, illustrates how individuals’ opinions evolve in response to external stimuli such as political parties and media. It also explores the impact of individuals’ reasoning abilities and initial viewpoints on their rationality and cognitive flexibility. Through simulation experiments, the paper demonstrates the model’s capacity to generate realistic outcomes such as homophily and polarization phenomena. It further discusses the model’s implications for mitigating misinformation spread and reducing polarization in political opinion dynamics, identifying key influencing factors and potential interventions. The paper contributes to computational politics by offering an innovative approach to modeling individual and collective opinion formation processes, acknowledging the complexity and adaptivity of cognitive, affective, and social dynamics.

M. Pellemans, M. den Heijer and S. Jansen—Equal contribution

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Mathijs Pellemans, Micha den Heijer, Sien Jansen & Jan Treur

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  1. Mathijs Pellemans
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  2. Micha den Heijer
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  3. Sien Jansen
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  4. Jan Treur
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Correspondence to Mathijs Pellemans .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece

    Ilias Maglogiannis

  2. Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece

    Lazaros Iliadis

  3. University of Abertay, Dundee, UK

    John Macintyre

  4. Ionian University, Corfu, Greece

    Markos Avlonitis

  5. Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece

    Antonios Papaleonidas

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Pellemans, M., den Heijer, M., Jansen, S., Treur, J. (2024). A Second-Order Adaptive Network Model for Political Opinion Dynamics. In: Maglogiannis, I., Iliadis, L., Macintyre, J., Avlonitis, M., Papaleonidas, A. (eds) Artificial Intelligence Applications and Innovations. AIAI 2024. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 713. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-63219-8_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-63219-8_23

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-63219-8

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