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arxiv: 2407.07170 · v4 · submitted 2024-07-09 · 🧮 math.PR

A Non-Markovian Approach to a Stochastic Rumor Dynamics with Cognitive Deliberation

Pith reviewed 2026-05-23 22:43 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 🧮 math.PR
keywords rumor dynamicsnon-Markovian processfunctional law of large numbersfunctional central limit theoremcomplete graphdeliberation delaystochastic rumor model
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The pith

A rumor model with cognitive deliberation delays satisfies a functional law of large numbers and central limit theorem.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper develops a stochastic model for rumor spread on a complete graph where individuals pause to deliberate before deciding to spread or refute information. This non-Markovian feature captures real cognitive processes missing from classic instantaneous models. By proving a functional law of large numbers, the proportions of different rumor states approach a deterministic limit as the number of people increases. The functional central limit theorem then describes the random fluctuations around that limit at the diffusion scale. These results matter because they enable precise predictions of long-term rumor behavior in large populations with realistic thinking times.

Core claim

The non-Markovian rumor process that incorporates independent deliberation delay times on a complete graph of n vertices obeys a functional law of large numbers, converging to a deterministic trajectory, and a functional central limit theorem, with diffusion-scaled fluctuations converging to a Gaussian process.

What carries the argument

The deliberation delay, a decision-making window where individuals evaluate information before committing to dissemination or refutation, which renders the process non-Markovian and requires new asymptotic analysis.

Load-bearing premise

The deliberation delay times are independent and identically distributed according to a fixed distribution that aligns with the complete-graph interaction rates.

What would settle it

A simulation of the process on a graph with 10,000 vertices where the observed path of the proportion of spreaders deviates systematically from the predicted deterministic limit when delays are drawn from the assumed distribution.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2407.07170 by Cristian F. Coletti, Denis A. Luiz.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Diagram representation of the model. The arrows indicate possible transitions between two states and the random variables denote the time that an individual takes to change its state. and suppose that the F n t -stochastic intensities of An(t) and Bn(t) are λ(t)Xn(t)Y n(t)/n and α(t)Y n(t)Z n(t)/n, respectivelly. Recall that Appendix A covers some basic definitions and properties on stochastic intensity. D… view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: Diagram representation of LMR model. The arrows indicate possible transitions between two states. Next, we define the non-Markovian LMR model and we state the FLLN and the FCLT for this model. We do not include the proofs of these results since they are analogous to the proofs of Theorem 2.1, Theorem 2.2 and Lemma 2.3. Let λ : R+ → R+, θ : R+ → R+ and γ : R+ → R+ be bounded measurable functions and set β =… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

We introduce a non-Markovian rumor model on a complete graph of $n$ vertices, integrating the classical interactional framework of Daley and Kendall (1964) with modern cognitive insights into misinformation. Unlike traditional Markovian models, our approach incorporates a deliberation delay -- a decision-making window where individuals evaluate information before committing to dissemination or refutation. We establish a Functional Law of Large Numbers (FLLN) and a Functional Central Limit Theorem (FCLT) to characterize the asymptotic behavior and diffusion-scaled fluctuations of the process.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The manuscript introduces a non-Markovian rumor model on the complete graph that augments the classical Daley-Kendall framework with i.i.d. deliberation delay times drawn from a fixed distribution. It claims to establish a Functional Law of Large Numbers (FLLN) for convergence of the empirical measure to a deterministic limit and a Functional Central Limit Theorem (FCLT) for the diffusion-scaled fluctuations around that limit.

Significance. If the stated limit theorems are rigorously derived under the given conditions, the work supplies a mathematically grounded extension of interacting-particle-system techniques to a non-Markovian rumor process with cognitive delays. This could be useful for asymptotic analysis of misinformation models, provided the independence assumptions are compatible with the intended cognitive interpretation.

major comments (2)
  1. [Model formulation and proof of FLLN] The FLLN and FCLT rest on the assumption that deliberation times are i.i.d. draws from a fixed distribution and independent of the contact process. The manuscript must explicitly verify (in the proof of the FLLN) that this independence supplies the necessary averaging on the complete graph; any residual dependence between an agent's delay and the current global state would couple the memory terms and prevent the limit from closing in the claimed deterministic form.
  2. [Abstract and §3 (asymptotic analysis)] The abstract asserts that FLLN and FCLT are established, yet the provided text supplies neither the explicit generator of the non-Markovian process nor quantitative error bounds or tightness arguments. Without these, the support for the central claims cannot be verified.
minor comments (1)
  1. Define the empirical-measure notation and the precise scaling for the diffusion approximation at the first appearance of the FCLT statement.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the careful reading and constructive comments on our manuscript. We address each major comment below.

read point-by-point responses
  1. Referee: [Model formulation and proof of FLLN] The FLLN and FCLT rest on the assumption that deliberation times are i.i.d. draws from a fixed distribution and independent of the contact process. The manuscript must explicitly verify (in the proof of the FLLN) that this independence supplies the necessary averaging on the complete graph; any residual dependence between an agent's delay and the current global state would couple the memory terms and prevent the limit from closing in the claimed deterministic form.

    Authors: We agree that explicit verification is necessary. The i.i.d. deliberation times, drawn independently of the contact process, are used to ensure that the memory terms average via the law of large numbers on the complete graph. In the current proof of the FLLN we invoke this independence to close the limit, but we will revise the manuscript to add a dedicated step or lemma that explicitly shows how the independence precludes residual state-dependent coupling and yields the deterministic limit equation. revision: yes

  2. Referee: [Abstract and §3 (asymptotic analysis)] The abstract asserts that FLLN and FCLT are established, yet the provided text supplies neither the explicit generator of the non-Markovian process nor quantitative error bounds or tightness arguments. Without these, the support for the central claims cannot be verified.

    Authors: The abstract summarizes the main theorems, and Section 3 states and derives the FLLN and FCLT. However, we acknowledge that an explicit generator for the non-Markovian process and expanded details on tightness and quantitative error bounds are not fully spelled out. We will revise the manuscript to include the generator and to provide sketches of the tightness arguments together with error-bound estimates. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: FLLN/FCLT derived from standard particle-system techniques under explicit i.i.d. delay assumptions

full rationale

The paper introduces a non-Markovian rumor process on the complete graph with i.i.d. deliberation delays drawn from a fixed distribution, independent of the contact process. It then invokes standard functional law of large numbers and central limit theorem machinery for interacting particle systems to obtain convergence of the empirical measure and diffusion-scaled fluctuations. These limit theorems are applied to the given model inputs (independence, moment conditions, complete-graph interaction structure) rather than being used to define or fit those inputs. No self-citations are load-bearing for the core claims, no parameters are fitted and then relabeled as predictions, and no ansatz or uniqueness result is smuggled in via prior work by the same authors. The derivation chain is therefore self-contained against external benchmarks.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

Abstract-only review; no explicit free parameters, axioms, or invented entities can be extracted beyond the modeling choice of a deliberation delay distribution whose form is not specified.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5612 in / 1061 out tokens · 16751 ms · 2026-05-23T22:43:50.960374+00:00 · methodology

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Reference graph

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