Supplementary Materials for "The Behavioural Grounding Protocol: Improving Behavioural Fit in Agent-Based Models"

These supplementary materials accompany the paper The Behavioural Grounding Protocol: Improving Behavioural Fit in Agent-Based Models, accepted for publication in the proceedings of the Social Simulation Conference 2026 (SSC2026). Supplementary Material A provides a worked example and complete application of the Behavioural Grounding Protocol (BGP) to the case of household load shifting. It demonstrates how the six-step protocol can be applied in practice, from defining the model purpose and specifying the target behaviour to identifying behavioural determinants, selecting behavioural theories, constructing a conceptual decision model, and developing an empirical strategy. Supplementary Material B provides additional guidance for Step 3 of the Behavioural Grounding Protocol by describing behavioural determinants that may be relevant for agent-based models. It discusses psychological, contextual, and social determinants, together with examples. Together, these materials are intended to support researchers in applying the BGP to their own agent-based modelling studies by providing both a complete worked example and practical guidance for identifying and operationalising behavioural mechanisms. Although the worked example focuses on household load shifting to reduce electricity demand during peak hours, the protocol is designed to be transferable to other behaviours and application domains. At the time of writing, the SSC2026 conference (scheduled for August 2026) has not yet taken place. Consequently, although the paper has been accepted following peer review, the conference proceedings have not yet been finalized, and publication remains contingent upon successful completion of the second review stage.