Physics Department, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33126, USA.
Phys Rev E. 2018 Mar;97(3-1):032311. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.97.032311.
Individual heterogeneity is a key characteristic of many real-world systems, from organisms to humans. However, its role in determining the system's collective dynamics is not well understood. Here we study how individual heterogeneity impacts the system network dynamics by comparing linking mechanisms that favor similar or dissimilar individuals. We find that this heterogeneity-based evolution drives an unconventional form of explosive network behavior, and it dictates how a polarized population moves toward consensus. Our model shows good agreement with data from both biological and social science domains. We conclude that individual heterogeneity likely plays a key role in the collective development of real-world networks and communities, and it cannot be ignored.
个体异质性是许多真实世界系统的一个关键特征，从生物体到人类都是如此。然而，它在决定系统的集体动态方面的作用还没有被很好地理解。在这里，我们通过比较有利于相似或不同个体的连接机制来研究个体异质性如何影响系统网络动态。我们发现，这种基于异质性的进化驱动了一种非常规的爆炸式网络行为，它决定了极化群体如何朝着共识前进。我们的模型与来自生物学和社会科学领域的数据吻合得很好。我们的结论是，个体异质性可能在真实世界网络和社区的集体发展中扮演着关键角色，不能被忽视。
