Integrating Fuzzy Logic and agent-based modeling for assessing construction crew behavior

Abstract

Construction crew worker behavior emerges from interaction with fellow crew members, social influence, interaction with the environment, and personal characteristics (e.g., self-efficacy, goal commitment). Agent-based modeling is a good solution for handling complex systems of interacting agents and therefore is suitable for modeling construction crew behavior. Agent-based modeling can handle system complexities that arise from interactions of the system components; however, many systems—especially those comprising human behavior and social relationships—also include subjective uncertainties, which are not accounted for in agent-based modeling. Fuzzy logic, on the other hand, is able to deal with subjective uncertainty; therefore, for modeling behavioral and social systems such as construction crew behavior, integrating these two techniques is advantageous. In this paper, we present the concept of agent-based modeling, then we introduce the concept of integrating fuzzy logic and agent-based modeling. Finally, we present the development of a fuzzy agent-based model of construction crew behavior that will allow us to predict construction crew performance. The contribution of this paper is in introducing the integration of fuzzy logic and agent-based modeling in construction modeling and developing a fuzzy agent-based model of construction crew behavior.