RECORD
Revisiting the effect of external fields in Axelrod's model of social dynamics
Physics and Society · Submitted 15 May 2012
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim Analyses of both one and two-dimensional versions of Axelrod's model indicate that, contrary to previous claims in the literature, the steady state remains heterogeneous regardless of the value of the field strength.
The compiled record
The paper's own sentences, arranged. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.
Open the compiled record
The abstract, sentence by sentence
The study of the effects of spatially uniform fields on the steady-state properties of Axelrod's model has yielded plenty of controversial results. Here we re-examine the impact of this type of field for a selection of parameters such that the field-free steady state of the model is heterogeneous or multicultural. Analyses of both one and two-dimensional versions of Axelrod's model indicate that, contrary to previous claims in the literature, the steady state remains heterogeneous regardless of the value of the field strength. Turning on the field leads to a discontinuous decrease on the number of cultural domains, which we argue is due to the instability of zero-field heterogeneous absorbing configurations. We find, however, that spatially nonuniform fields that implement a consensus rule among the neighborhood of the agents enforces homogenization. Although the overall effects of the fields are essentially the same irrespective of the dimensionality of the model, we argue that the dimensionality has a significant impact on the stability of the field-free homogeneous steady state.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | The study of the effects of spatially uniform fields on the steady-state properties of Axelrod's model has yielded plenty of controversial results. | background 0.99 | 0.05 | 0.03 | asserted 0.98 |
| s1 | Here we re-examine the impact of this type of field for a selection of parameters such that the field-free steady state of the model is heterogeneous or multicultural. | contribution 0.93 | 0.82 | 0.04 | unclear 0.71 |
| s2 | Analyses of both one and two-dimensional versions of Axelrod's model indicate that, contrary to previous claims in the literature, the steady state remains heterogeneous regardless of the value of the field strength. | result 1.00 | 0.88 | 0.73 | hedged possibility 0.54 |
| s3 | Turning on the field leads to a discontinuous decrease on the number of cultural domains, which we argue is due to the instability of zero-field heterogeneous absorbing configurations. | result 0.85 | 0.93 | 0.21 | asserted 0.97 |
| s4 | We find, however, that spatially nonuniform fields that implement a consensus rule among the neighborhood of the agents enforces homogenization. | result 1.00 | 0.91 | 0.13 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | Although the overall effects of the fields are essentially the same irrespective of the dimensionality of the model, we argue that the dimensionality has a significant impact on the stability of the field-free homogeneous steady state. | result 0.70 | 0.73 | 0.11 | asserted 0.85 |
What was examined, and what was not
- arXiv listing abstract v1
- full text
- figures and tables
- references and citing sentences
- relations to other papers
- P abstract
- S sections
- T body sentences
- C citations
- R cross-paper relations
The paper
Original abstract
The study of the effects of spatially uniform fields on the steady-state properties of Axelrod's model has yielded plenty of controversial results. Here we re-examine the impact of this type of field for a selection of parameters such that the field-free steady state of the model is heterogeneous or multicultural. Analyses of both one and two-dimensional versions of Axelrod's model indicate that, contrary to previous claims in the literature, the steady state remains heterogeneous regardless of the value of the field strength. Turning on the field leads to a discontinuous decrease on the number of cultural domains, which we argue is due to the instability of zero-field heterogeneous absorbing configurations. We find, however, that spatially nonuniform fields that implement a consensus rule among the neighborhood of the agents enforces homogenization. Although the overall effects of the fields are essentially the same irrespective of the dimensionality of the model, we argue that the dimensionality has a significant impact on the stability of the field-free homogeneous steady state.
Human review
Discussion
Know something about this paper? Leave a comment, or highlight any passage above to comment on it.