Agent-based modeling for understanding social intelligence

The advantages of agent-based modeling for a general theory of intelligence at the individual and social level are emphasized over other existing approaches mainly relying on rationality theories. As was pointed out during the National Academy of Sciences Sackler Colloquium session "Implications of Agent-Based Modeling for Understanding Human Rationality and Learning," held in October 2001, properties of social intelligent agents include adaptability and learning capacity, as well as the capacity to produce and employ artifacts and manipulate symbols.