In the previous chapter the agents adopted products because a number of other agents used that product. The agents did not evaluate the product itself. In a more realistic model of product choice agents may make decisions based on different attributes of the products affecting different needs of the agents. In this chapter we will include more psychology in modeling the decision making of the agents.
We assume that agents try to satisfy their needs. One activity, such as eating a meal with your family, can satisfy needs of subsistence as well as needs of belongingness. When people make decisions they take into account the different types of needs that are involved. In this chapter we simplify the model to include an individual need and a social need. The individual need refers to the functionality of the product, it is a product that the agent likes. The social need refers to the fact that people like to belong to a group and like to conform to the choices made by their friends.