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Effects of Switching Costs in Distributed Problem-Solving Systems

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Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence, 15th International Conference (DCAI2018 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 800))

Abstract

In many situations, changing the status quo may induce particular extra costs. Such switching costs are assumed to cause inertia and reduce performance. This paper studies the effects of switching costs in distributed problem-solving systems and, for this, employs an agent-based simulation based on NK fitness landscapes. The results indicate that the complexity of the problem to be solved considerably shapes the effects of switching costs. Depending on the period of time in the search for superior solutions, switching costs may even have beneficial effects in terms of stabilizing the search and increasing the system’s performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alpen-Adria-Universitaet Klagenfurt, 9020, Klagenfurt, Austria

    Friederike Wall

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  1. Friederike Wall
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Correspondence to Friederike Wall .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. BISITE Digital Innovation Hub. Edificio Multimedia I+D+i, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

    Fernando De La Prieta

  2. Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electronics, Information and Communication, Osaka Institute of Technology, Osaka, Osaka, Japan

    Sigeru Omatu

  3. Department of Computing Systems, School of Industrial Engineers at Albacete, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain

    Antonio Fernández-Caballero

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Wall, F. (2019). Effects of Switching Costs in Distributed Problem-Solving Systems. In: De La Prieta, F., Omatu, S., Fernández-Caballero, A. (eds) Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence, 15th International Conference. DCAI2018 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 800. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94649-8_1

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