Use of Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) in Psychological Research

In this chapter, we introduce the general use of agent-based modeling (ABM) in social science studies and in particular in psychological research. Given that ABM is frequently used in many disciplines in social sciences, as the main research tool or in conjunction with other modeling approaches, it is rather surprising its infrequent use in psychology. There are many reasons for that infrequent use of ABM in psychology, some justified, but others stem from not knowing the potential benefits of applying ABM to psychological research. Thus, we begin by giving a brief overview of ABM and the stages one has to go through to develop and analyze such a model. Then, we present and discuss the general drawbacks of ABM and the ones specific to psychology. Through that discussion, the reader should be able to better assess whether those disadvantages are sufficiently strong for precluding the application of ABM to his/her research. Finally, we end up by stating the benefits of ABM and examining how those advantages may outweigh the potential drawbacks, thus making ABM a valuable tool to consider in psychological research.