The Spanish Steps flower scam: agent-based modeling of a complex social interaction
Ladislau L Bölöni · 2012
We model in detail a short human interaction scenario, the Spanish Steps flower scam. The scenario involves elements of negotiated commercial transaction, deceit, clash of cultural values and manipulation of public perception. The behavior of the actors is difficult to fit into a model of utility maximizing agents (even if we allow for bounded rationality). To model the scenario, we introduce a model where agents consider vectors of metrics which are not directly and linearly convertible into each other. The vectors consist of a mix of concrete and culture sanctioned metrics, with some of the latter being evaluated from the perspective of the self, the peers as well as the general public.