A Simple Model of Anxiety in Students (1.0.0)
A simple theoretical agent-based model intending to represent anxiety in students is presented. In this, agents make two decisions each simulation tick, whether to: socialise and go to school (on school days). Circular causation can result in some agents entering a negative loop of high-anxiety and avoidance, even whilst most improve their skills and develop lower levels of anxiety. We compare three different mechanisms that may lie behind decision-making under anxiety: expect the worst, avoid uncertainty and avoid anxiety. Results indicate that, although these are often indistinguishable in terms of some obvious aggregate measures on the outcomes, they do exhibit different underlying dynamics.
Release Notes
First version released in time for the Social Simulation Conference 2026, Durham, UK
Associated Publications
Edmonds, B. & Vanhée, L. (2026) A Simple Model of Anxiety in Students. Social Simulation Conference 2026, Durham, UK.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.comses.net/codebases/a2ba6b1b-bb3c-4ecc-a257-9e5dbf791efd/releases/1.0.0/