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Why Model? & Segregation

and Peer Effects

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 puntos

1.
Who developed the racial and income segregation model that
we covered in section 2?

Schelling

Respuesta correcta 
Thomas Schelling developed the segregation model
 from section 2.

[See 2.2, "Schelling's Segregation Model"]

Show other acceptable response

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2.
Recall the standing ovation model. Suppose that for a
particular show, perceptions of show quality are uniformly
distributed between 0 and 100. Also suppose that individuals
stand if they perceive the quality of the show to exceed 60 out
of 100. Approximately what percentage of people will stand
initially?

0%

50%

60%

Respuesta incorrecta 

40%

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3.
Imagine that you have never been a cigarette smoker, but
suddenly you begin to hang out with a group of people who
smoke cigarettes frequently. After a few weeks, you become a
regular smoker as well. This phenomenon is known as:

Sorting

Peer Effects
 Respuesta correcta 
Peer Effects refers to the phenomenon of acting like
and believing like the people we hang out with. On the
other hand, sorting refers to the phenomenon of
moving to be closer to people with whom we already
have much in common.

[See 2.1, "Sorting and Peer Effects Introduction"]

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4.
What are the three main elements of an agent-based model?

 Agents (people)

Respuesta correcta 
In agent-based modeling, we model a system that is a
collection of autonomous, decision-making individuals
called agents. These agents make decisions on the
basis of a particular set of rules. We then look at these
decisions in the aggregate to see what types of macro-
level behaviors or patterns emerge. So the three
things to look for in agent-based models are the
agents, their decisions, and the aggregation of those
decisions.

[2.2, "Schelling's Segregation Model"]

 Aggregation (what happens?)

Respuesta correcta 
In agent-based modeling, we model a system that is a
collection of autonomous, decision-making individuals
called agents. These agents make decisions on the
basis of a particular set of rules. We then look at these
decisions in the aggregate to see what types of macro-
level behaviors or patterns emerge. So the three
 things to look for in agent-based models are the
agents, their decisions, and the aggregation of those
decisions.

[2.2, "Schelling's Segregation Model"]

 Behaviors (rules)

Respuesta correcta 
In agent-based modeling, we model a system that is a
collection of autonomous, decision-making individuals
called agents. These agents make decisions on the
basis of a particular set of rules. We then look at these
decisions in the aggregate to see what types of macro-
level behaviors or patterns emerge. So the three
things to look for in agent-based models are the
agents, their decisions, and the aggregation of those
decisions.

[2.2, "Schelling's Segregation Model"]

Demographics (race & income level)

Respuesta correcta 

Neighborhoods (houses)

Respuesta correcta 

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5.
Which model illustrates how extremists can create collective
action such as an uprising, despite the fact that most group
members have high thresholds for such behavior?

Index of Dissimilarity
 Identification Problem

Schelling's Model

Granovetter's Model

Respuesta correcta 
Extremists - in this context, people with low thresholds
for taking social or political action - can sometimes
drive what occurs in the world, making certain political
and social situations or uprisings very difficult to
predict. This is one of the main lessons of
Granovetter's Model. The model consists of N
individuals, each of whom has a threshold for a certain
behavior. If there are enough 'extremists' in this model
with very low thresholds, collective action may occur
despite the presence of other individuals with very
high thresholds.

[See 2.4, "Peer Effects"]

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6.
While America is an incredibly diverse country, many of the
places where Americans live are filled with people who think,
believe, and vote like we do. A big reason for this is that we
can choose the neighborhood we live in, the people who we
associate with, the news outlets that we follow, etc. Which
concept from class can best help us understand this
phenomenon?

Peer Effects

Sorting

Respuesta correcta 
The concept that Americans are sorting to be like
others who share similar beliefs and ways of life
comes from a book by Bill Bishop called "The Big Sort".
The basic idea here is that when agents in the model -
people - are choosing to surround themselves with
others who are similar, we consider it sorting. This is
opposed to peer effects, in which agents are
influenced by others who are around them. The main
difference is that sorting involves choosing to live
somewhere or move to somewhere with other, similar
people.

[See Section 2.6, "The Identification Problem"]

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