Myśl a potem działaj czy działaj a potem myśl?
[Think then act or act then think?]

Arkadiusz Jędrzejewski, Katarzyna Sznajd-Weron
(Katedra Fizyki Teoretycznej, PWr, Wrocław)


We introduce a new agent-based model of opinion dynamics in which binary opinions 
of each agent can be measured and described regarding both pre- and 
post-influence at both of two levels, public and private, vis-a-vis the influence 
source. The model combines ideas introduced within the q-voter model with noise, 
proposed by physicists, with the descriptive, four-dimensional model of social 
response, formulated by social psychologists. We investigate two versions of the 
same model that differ only by the updating order: an opinion on the public level 
is updated before an opinion on the private level or vice versa. We show how the 
results on the macroscopic scale depend on this order. The main finding of this 
paper is that both models produce the same outcome if one looks only at such a 
macroscopic variable as the total number of the individuals with positive 
opinions. However, if also the level of internal harmony (viz., dissonance) is 
measured, then significant, qualitative differences are seen between these two 
versions of the model. All results were obtained simultaneously within Monte 
Carlo simulations and analytical calculations. We discuss the importance of our 
studies and findings from three points of view: the theory of phase transitions, 
agent-based modeling of social systems, and social psychology.

Based on: A. Jędrzejewski, G. Marcjasz, P.R. Nail, K. Sznajd-Weron (2018) 
Think then act or act then think? Working Paper, https://arxiv.org/abs/1806.11243