EXP-TOPO-CYCLE-R3

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Cycle Topology vs Complete — Replication 3

2026-03-16 L3 level paper3 1 runs $0.00

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In plain language

This experiment aimed to see if a specific way of organizing information, called "cycle topology," would lead to less complex hierarchies compared to a "complete topology." The initial test suggested cycle topology was better, but this replication with a different random starting point found that the results were not clear enough to draw any conclusions. More tests are needed to understand if cycle topology truly reduces complexity.

What we found

UNDERPOWERED (N=1): No predictions scored

Predictions we made before running

0/4 confirmed

▶ Technical details

Research hypothesis

Replication of exp-topo-cycle pilot.

HYPOTHESIS: Cycle topology REDUCES hierarchy (TR_range) relative to complete topology.

Pilot (N=1) found: TR_range = 0.071 (vs complete 0.444) VP_excess = 0.167 (vs complete 0.075) RP = 0.081 (vs complete 0.147) ESC C = 0.715 (vs complete 0.344)

Replication 3: same rotation as pilot (0) but different seed (S2). Tests seed sensitivity with rotation held constant.

Experimental setup

Type: simple

Condition	Parameters
CYCLE_LIVE	topology: CYCLE, interaction: LIVE, note: Directed cycle — each agent reads only predecessor

Factors: topology (CYCLE)

Parameters

n_agents: 3
n_rounds: 48
n_runs_per_condition: 1
model: gemini-2.5-flash-lite
temperature: 0.9
scheduler: round_robin

Trophic Ratios by Condition

Mean trophic ratio per agent across runs. Error bars = ±1 std dev. Higher TR = more upstream (exporter).