A system of exchange values to support social interactions in artificial societies

Abstract

This paper describes a system of values for modelling social exchanges among agents in artificial societies. The system consists of an algebra of exchange values, a social-reasoning mechanism based on that algebra, and the specification of structures for storing and manipulating such values. The notion of exchange values used here is the one defined in J.Piaget's sociology of small groups, which provides a simple theoretical framework for our endeavour. We show how the system can be integrated with existing interaction models in multi-agent systems. We also illustrate the use of our value-based system by a brief model of the political process of lobbying through campaign contributions.