Using Agent-Based Models to Simulate Behaviour: An introductory workshop: Introduction

Introduction

Modelling complex, interrelated and interacting components of human behaviour are challenging. A complex-system modelling approach through agent-based modelling (ABM) can help address the challenge. ABM’s allow a user to model individual behaviours that can lead to population-level effects (Silverman et al., 2021). ABM’s allow for the interaction of individual agents, within an environment. Simple ABM’s involve agents that behaviour similarly. ABMs may also be developed with heterogenous agents. Manipulation of microspecifications allows researchers to use an ABM to explore how agent interaction and reaction to the environment lead to macroscopic outcomes. Accordingly, ABMs can be used experimentally to falsify hypothesised mechanisms that bring about observed system outcomes, thereby facilitating the theory development of human behaviour.

Aim

This workshop aims to provide an introduction to agent-based modelling as a method for simulation of behaviour.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify characteristics of a complex system
• Describe the features of an agent-based model
• Describe the steps for the development of an agent-based model
• Conduct a simple experiment using an ABM

Additional Information

Optional Reading Material:

• Hotelling, Harold. (1929). “Stability in Competition.” The Economic Journal 39.153: 41 -57. (Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2224214.
• C. Macal and M. North, “Introductory tutorial: Agent-based modeling and simulation,” Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference 2014, 2014, pp. 6-20, doi: 10.1109/WSC.2014.7019874. (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7019874)

This workshop will utilise NetLogo to demonstrate agent-based modelling. Attendees do not need to download NetLogo to participate in this workshop. The models are available to be run on the NetLogo Web: https://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/ A user guide to NetLogo: http://www.intro-to-abm.com/

References

Silverman, E., Gostoli, U., Picascia, S., Almagor, J., McCann, M., Shaw, R., & Angione, C. (2021). Situating agent-based modelling in population health research. Emerging Themes in Epidemiology, 18(1), 1-15.

Recorded Lesson: You can watch the recorded lesson from July, 2022, here: To be added

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this workshop.

However, you will require your OWN LAPTOP REQUIRED, and access to the internet.

Course survey!

Please fill out our course survey before you leave!

About the Presenters

Ardalan (Ardi) Mirzaei

Ardi Mirzaei BPharm, MPhil, GradCertEdstud (Higher Ed) is a registered pharmacist and PhD graduate who studied patients’ health information-seeking behaviour. Ardi has a passion for applying machine learning and deep learning methods to transform healthcare and streamline healthcare processes. He teaches students and academics the coding languages of Python and R for data science and analysis. As the state coordinator, he also organises training for pharmacy interns. His masters’ work focused on marketing and the influence of service quality in community pharmacies. As a part of FIP, he is a member of the Health and Medicines Information Section and the FIP Technology Forum.

Carl Schneider

Dr Carl Schneider BN, BPharm(Hons), PhD, PGCert(HigherEd) is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at The University of Sydney School of Pharmacy. Carl has research expertise in optimising the patient safety via Quality Use of Medicines, with research outputs spanning pharmacoepidemiology to implementation of health care services in Australian community pharmacies through development and implementation of practice guidelines. Carl completed his PhD in 2011 at the University of Western Australia and now has over 60 career total publications, primarily in the areas of health professional education, social and administrative pharmacy and implementation of health services and is the successful recipient of funding totalling over AUD$3,500,000. As a recognised leader in the area of health care services and education, Carl has been an invited speaker at multiple national and international events, elected National Education Lead for the Australasian Pharmaceutical Sciences Association in 2017, elected to the Executive Committee of the International Pharmacy Federation Academic Section in 2018, and is an associate editor for Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.