Testing self-perception theory with agent-based simulation

Abstract

Conventional wisdom is that a person's attitude towards an issue dictates their behaviour. In contrast, self-perception theory accounts for how a person forms their attitude. In the context of this paper, the theory asserts that a person can, in the absence of prior experience, establish an attitude towards cycling based on observing their own, hopefully, positive experience. The adaptive agent-based model, MATSim, allows one to test the self-perception theory. The case study in Cape Town, South Africa, demonstrates that as much as 7.8% of people introduced to cycling will experience it as positive, opening the door for adoption.