Cited by 83Child and Animal Learning DevelopmentLanguage and cultural evolutionExperimental Behavioral Economics Studies

Social Learning Strategies in Networked Groups

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Wisdom, Thomas N., Song, Xianfeng, Goldstone, Robert L.·2013·Cognitive Science

Abstract

When making decisions, humans can observe many kinds of information about others' activities, but their effects on performance are not well understood. We investigated social learning strategies using a simple problem‐solving task in which participants search a complex space, and each can view and imitate others' solutions. Results showed that participants combined multiple sources of information to guide learning, including payoffs of peers' solutions, popularity of solution elements among peers, similarity of peers' solutions to their own, and relative payoffs from individual exploration. Furthermore, performance was positively associated with imitation rates at both the individual and group levels. When peers' payoffs were hidden, popularity and similarity biases reversed, participants searched more broadly and randomly, and both quality and equity of exploration suffered. We conclude that when peers' solutions can be effectively compared, imitation does not simply permit scrounging, but it can also facilitate propagation of good solutions for further cumulative exploration.

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Crossref · 10.1111/cogs.12052

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  • The same individuals arranged in a different network can exhibit different emergent behavior.

    “In other words, the same individuals arranged in a different network can exhibit different emergent behavior”

    From Stewardship of global collective behavior (2021) · cites this paper as [67]

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Authors
Wisdom, T. N., Song, X., & Goldstone, R. L.
Affiliations
  • Indiana University Bloomington (US)
  • Indiana University (US)
Corresponding author
Wisdom, Thomas N.
Venue
Cognitive Science
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2013-07-11
Volume
37
Issue
8
Pages
1383-1425
ISSN
  • 0364-0213 (ISSN-L)
  • 1551-6709
OpenAlex
W2108871946
Cited by
83
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3
FWCI
13.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cognitive Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
Keywords
social learning, imitation, solution search, payoff information, popularity bias, similarity bias, exploration, cumulative learning, problem solving
MeSH terms
Decision Making, Group Processes, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Learning, Problem Solving, Social Behavior

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