Conference Proceedings
Diffusion and Social Networks: Revisiting Medical Innovation with Agents
P Perez, N Ratna, A Dray, Q Grafton, D Newth, T Kompas, A Zerger (ed.), RM Argent (ed.)
MODSIM 2005: INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MODELLING AND SIMULATION: ADVANCES AND APPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING | MODELLING & SIMULATION SOC AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND INC | Published : 2005
Abstract
In this paper, we reanalyze Medical Innovation, the classic study on diffusion of Tetracycline by Coleman, Katz and Menzel (1966). Medical Innovation articulates how different patterns of interpersonal communications can influence the diffusion process at different stages of adoption. In their pioneering study, individual network (discussion, friendship or advice) was perceived as a set of disjointed pairs, and the extent of influences were therefore, evaluated for pairs of individuals. Given the existence of overlapping networks and consequent influences on doctors' adoption decisions, the complexity of actual events was not captured by pair analysis. Subsequent reanalyses (Burt 1987, Stran..
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