Social simulation based on perceptual balance on the influence of communication styles

Research about social structures and the conceptualization of group problem solving have a long and rich history. In this paper, we simulate virtual societies under several communication network conditions among agents using multi-agent systems, whose agents are based on cognitive balance, to get clues for understanding the complex human relationships of modern society. Heider, a founder of the theory of perceptual balance, defined the relationship among three notions (P, O, X) as positive (+1) or negative (-1) and judged the group balance or imbalance using the product of these three signs in this cycle. Cartwright and Harary expanded Heider´s balance theory (structural balance) to groups that consist of more than three actors to explain more realistic social problems. We apply these theories to social simulations and adopt the idea of communication networks and reinforce learning to the agents. The model simulates social actors who make positive and negative selections of each other to reach balanced cognitive states. We observe the influence on the dissimilarity or the formation of groups on our social simulations as a result of several communication networks and the ways of choosing communication partners, especially for sharing common perceptions, that influence society.