Multilevel Network Reification: Representing Higher Order Adaptivity in a Network

Abstract

Network reification occurs when a base network is extended by adding explicit states representing the characteristics defining the structure of the base network. This can be used to explicitly represent network adaptation principles within a network. The adaptation principles may change as well, based on second-order adaptation principles of the network. By reification of the reified network, also such second-order adaptation principles can be explicitly represented. This multilevel network reification construction is introduced and illustrated in the current paper. The illustration focuses on an adaptive adaptation principle from Social Science for bonding based on homophily; here connections are changing by a first-order adaptation principle which itself changes over time by a second-order adaptation principle.