Paramesh wrote:
>
>It is not clear what "exist" means. Suppose that an agent A in a society
>wants to carry out a joint activity with a group Gr of agents in that
>society. If the group is only an emergent structure but does not exist as
>an explicit structure, how will this agent A for example talk to the
>group Gr? Who in the group will answer to any query from the
>agent A? While from an obsever's view point it may not matter
>whether a social structure such a 'group' is explicit or an
>emergent phenomenon, to a participating agent it does.
I understand your point, but I don't yet see why a phenomenon should
be "explicit or emergent". In the example that you discuss, both an
explicit model of the group and an explicit model of the agents'
representation of the group are needed. But this does not prevent
that such explicit model describes the group in question as emerging
from previous interactions or from properties of the agents (for
example from their actions repertoires and needs). Indeed, groups
may affect agents' mental states without being explicitly represented
as "groups" by their members. In other words, an agent A may be
affected by the group Gr even though A has no representation (belief)
about Gr. For example, cooperation may be orchestrated from the
outside. Groups may exist (read, operate) even independent of their
members' representation. Still, they emerge from properties of their
members (e.g., their complementarity).
ross
Rosaria Conte
National Research Council, Institute of Psychology, V.LE Marx 15, 00137 Roma.
Division "AI, Cognitive and Interaction Modelling"
PSS (Project on Social Simulation) - voice:+39+06+86090210;fax:+39+06+824737
email: [log in to unmask] - http://ip.rm.cnr.it
University of Siena - Communication Sciences - "Social Psychology"
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YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. THANKS.
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