A generalization of Barabasi priority model of human dynamics

TL;DR

This paper generalizes Barabasi's human dynamics model by proposing a priority-based task selection mechanism that explains bursty human behavior, supported by extended analytical proofs.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized selection rule for the priority model and provides analytic proofs extending Vazquez's heuristics.

Findings

Bursty human behavior can be modeled by priority-proportional task selection.

The generalized model explains the bursty nature of event arrivals.

Analytic proofs support the extended theoretical framework.

Abstract

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi introduced a model which exhibits the bursty nature of the arrival times of events in systems determined by decisions of some humans. In Barabasi's model tasks are selected to execution according to some rules which depends on the priorities of the tasks. In this paper we generalize the selection rule of the A.-L. Barabasi priority queuing model. We show that the bursty nature of human behavior can be explained by a model where tasks are selected proportional to their priorities. In addition, we extend some of Vazquez's heuristic arguments to analytic proofs.