Title
Toward inverse generative social science using multi-objective genetic programming
Abstract
ABSTRACTGenerative mechanism-based models of social systems, such as those represented by agent-based simulations, require that intra-agent equations (or rules) be specified. However there are often many different choices available for specifying these equations, which can still be interpreted as falling within a particular class of mechanisms. Whilst it is important for a generative model to reproduce historically observed dynamics, it is also important for the model to be theoretically enlightening. Genetic programs (our own included) often produce concatenations that are highly predictive but are complex and hard to interpret theoretically. Here, we develop a new method - based on multi-objective genetic programming - for automating the exploration of both objectives simultaneously. We demonstrate the method by evolving the equations for an existing agent-based simulation of alcohol use behaviors based on social norms theory, the initial model structure for which was developed by a team of human modelers. We discover a trade-off between empirical fit and theoretical interpretability that offers insight into the social norms processes that influence the change and stasis in alcohol use behaviors over time.
Year
DOI
Venue
2019
10.1145/3321707.3321840
GECCO
Keywords
Field
DocType
generative social science, multi-objective optimization, genetic programming
Multi objective genetic programming,Inverse,Computer science,Multi-objective optimization,Genetic programming,Artificial intelligence,Generative grammar,Machine learning
Conference
Volume
Citations 
PageRank 
2019
0
0.34
References 
Authors
0
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Tuong Manh Vu101.35
Charlotte Probst200.68
Joshua M. Epstein329745.07
Alan Brennan411.74
Mark Strong501.01
Robin C. Purshouse662830.00