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What are the conceptual primitives of relationships? An agent-based modeling approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2026

Clara Lavrador  and
David Pietraszewski Open the ORCID record for David Pietraszewski [Opens in a new window]
Clara Lavrador
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA clavra@ucsb.edu pietra@ucsb.edu
David Pietraszewski*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA clavra@ucsb.edu pietra@ucsb.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

The tripartite relationship model is unlikely to reflect how relationships are represented in the mind, given considerable difficulty in wresting clear conceptual distinctions from it. Instead, it offers a descriptive framework for organizing findings. Here, we present examples of conceptual difficulties of the model and elaborate on the functional importance of third-party inference based on our agent-based modeling work.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e36
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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