A model of friendship networks based on social network analysis

It is important for teachers to understand the characteristics of forming and changing of friendship networks to manage their classes effectively. Many studies have analyzed friendship networks using agent-based models. Most of the models used were designed for capturing basic phenomena in a micro-viewpoint. The purpose of our study is to simulate actual friendship networks. In this paper, we present an agent-based friendship-network model based on our analysis of friendship networks among university students. We focused on Hiramatsu's model based on a cost-benefit analysis and modified the model with the aim of closing to the actual friendship. With our modified model, the benefit function was based on their cluster structure. The results with the modified model better matched the actual friendship networks. The clique size in the modified model approached that in the actual friendship networks, and the values of several network properties approached those of the actual friendship networks.