The diamond model of social response within an agent-based approach

Models of social response concern the identification and delineation of possible responses to social pressure. Most models are based on simple one-dimensional conceptualizations of conformity and its alternatives even though more sophisticated models have been available for a number of years. The diamond model is perhaps the most refined of the two-dimensional formulations. It is particularly useful in building agent-based models of opinion dynamics because it gives clear and explicit operational definitions of basic types of social response. In fact, the diamond model is actually a ready recipe for a microscopic model of opinion dynamics. Moreover, it fits quite well Einstein's "simple but no simpler" strategy. In this work, we will present the logic of the diamond model as well as its implications for agent-based modeling.