An evolutionary game approach for determination of the structural conflicts in signed networks

Abstract

Social or biochemical networks can often divide into two opposite alliances in response to structural conflicts between positive (friendly, activating) and negative (hostile, inhibiting) interactions. Yet, the underlying dynamics on how the opposite alliances are spontaneously formed to minimize the structural conflicts is still unclear. Here, we demonstrate that evolutionary game dynamics provides a felicitous possible tool to characterize the evolution and formation of alliances in signed networks. Indeed, an evolutionary game dynamics on signed networks is proposed such that each node can adaptively adjust its choice of alliances to maximize its own fitness, which yet leads to a minimization of the structural conflicts in the entire network. Numerical experiments show that the evolutionary game approach is universally efficient in quality and speed to find optimal solutions for all undirected or directed, unweighted or weighted signed networks. Moreover, the evolutionary game approach is inherently distributed. These characteristics thus suggest the evolutionary game dynamic approach as a feasible and effective tool for determining the structural conflicts in large-scale on-line signed networks.

Measuring partial balance in signed networks

“…Although this study focuses on partial balance, the findings may well have a bearing on link prediction and clustering in signed networks [23]. Some other theoretical topics of interest in signed networks are network dynamics [55] and opinion dynamics [40]. Effective methods of signed network structural analysis can contribute to these topics as well.…”

Signed Network Structural Analysis and Applications with a Focus on Balance Theory

“…Although we focused on partial balance, the findings may well have a bearing on link prediction and clustering in signed networks [59]. Some other relevant topics of interest in signed networks are network dynamics [131] and opinion dynamics [97]. Effective methods of signed network structural analysis can contribute to these topics as well.…”

Enhancement of Cooperation and Reentrant Phase of Prisoner’s Dilemma Game on Signed Networks

“…There are two types of link in the signed network: positive and negative. Tan and Lu reported evolutionary game dynamics in a signed network [ 26 ]. They observed minimization of structural conflicts when players adjusted their choice of alliance.…”