[agents] CfP: Special JAAMAS issue on Autonomous Agents for Agent-Based Modeling

[Virginia Dignum - TBM]

Special JAAMAS issue on Autonomous Agents for Agent-Based Modeling
http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/wellman/?page_id=238

Call for Papers: Autonomous Agents for Agent-Based Modeling

A SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL OF AUTONOMOUS AGENTS AND MULTIAGENT SYSTEMS

Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a general approach to understanding social systems through simulation of interacting agents.  An agent-based model is by definition a model of a multiagent system (MAS), yet historically the ABM and MAS research communities have proceeded on nearly independent tracks.  This special issue aims to help bridge the MAS and ABM communities, by collecting research contributions that serve goals of both fields.
Combining the benefits of ABM and MAS perspectives poses many technical and conceptual challenges.  For example, agent-based models often focus on emergent behavior through interactions of simple agents, whereas much research on autonomous agents emphasizes complex agent architectures with sophisticated reasoning and decision processes.  Considering interactions and sophisticated reasoning together is essential, as studies show that cognitive processes both determine and are shaped by social interactions.  Contributions that feature rich agent designs in simulation studies are therefore especially well-suited for this special issue, as are ABM studies that focus on social reasoning dynamics and how they drive emergent multiagent behavior.

A methodological issue that is particularly salient given a large agent design space is dealing with the sensitivity of multiagent outcomes to selection of agent behaviors in the model. Most agent-based models use arbitrary assignments or uniform random distributions to configure the initial conditions in simulations. With richer agent architectures, such approaches are infeasible or introduce problematic bias, hence greater deliberation is required in the design of agent behavior. We expect submissions to the special issue to articulate the principles employed for agent selection, and address the question of outcome sensitivity to agent behavior in the work reported.

Submissions to the special issue may describe contributions in the form of exemplary applications, or advances in methods for agent-based simulation research. Of particular interest are submissions that compare or otherwise analyze ABM with and without rich reasoning models.  Prospective authors with questions about the intended scope are welcome to contact the special-issue co-editors. We specifically invite pre-submission of brief abstracts for editor feedback.

Special Issue Timeline
. Pre-submission of abstracts (optional): 12 January 2015
. Deadline for submissions: 12 March 2015
. Initial reviews: May 2015
. Target for publication: December 2015

Papers will be reviewed by the usual standards of JAAMAS.
See Springer's Instructions for Authors.

Special Issue Editors:
. Virginia Dignum, Delft University of Technology
. Nigel Gilbert, University of Surrey
. Michael Wellman, University of Michigan



-- 
Best regards / Met vriendelijke groet,
 
Dr. Virginia Dignum
 
TU Delft / Technology Policy and Management
Associate Professor
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E  m.v.dignum at tudelft.nl  
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