Abstract

Since the beginning of multiagent systems research, it has been argued that theories from the realm of the social sciences can be of help when building multiagent systems, and to some extent vice versa. This study sketches the concepts necessary for agents based on social theories. The concepts, viz. agent, autonomy and norms, used in these theories are discussed and defined. The social theories include theories on decision making, various rationality and action models, and the role and modeling of other agents. The sociological debate on the micro-macro problem is analyzed and translated to multiagent research and combined with philosophical theories on sociality. An agent typology is proposed and linked to the communication and modeling possibilities of the agents. Concluding the thesis is a selection of articles presented at workshops and conferences, focusing on the usefulness of norms for artificial adjustable autonomous agents, and two articles on simulation studies in order to develop and test organization theories.

Citations

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