Trusting and Learning from Others: Immediate and Long-term Effects of Learning from Observation and Advice

Overview

Journal Proc Biol Sci

Specialty Biology

Date 2021 Oct 20

PMID 34666522

Citations 8

Authors

Uri Hertz

Vaughan Bell

Nichola Raihani

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Social learning underpins our species's extraordinary success. Learning through observation has been investigated in several species, but learning from advice-where information is intentionally broadcast-is less understood. We used a pre-registered, online experiment ( = 1492) combined with computational modelling to examine learning through observation and advice. Participants were more likely to immediately follow advice than to copy an observed choice, but this was dependent upon trust in the adviser: highly paranoid participants were less likely to follow advice in the short term. Reinforcement learning modelling revealed two distinct patterns regarding the long-term effects of social information: some individuals relied fully on social information, whereas others reverted to trial-and-error learning. This variation may affect the prevalence and fidelity of socially transmitted information. Our results highlight the privileged status of advice relative to observation and how the assimilation of intentionally broadcast information is affected by trust in others.

Citing Articles

Experience and advice consequences shape information sharing strategies.

Anllo H, Salamander G, Raihani N, Palminteri S, Hertz U Commun Psychol. 2024; 2(1):123.

PMID: 39702539 PMC: 11659411. DOI: 10.1038/s44271-024-00175-5.

Social identification and paranoia.

Greenburgh A, Zamperetti L, Bell V, Raihani N R Soc Open Sci. 2024; 11(6):231961.

PMID: 39100170 PMC: 11296205. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231961.

Interaction among participants in a collective intelligence experiment: an emotional approach.

Orejudo S, Lozano-Blasco R, Bautista P, Aiger M Front Psychol. 2024; 15:1383134.

PMID: 38813562 PMC: 11133684. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1383134.

The influence of social feedback on reward learning in the Iowa gambling task.

Peng M, Duan Q, Yang X, Tang R, Zhang L, Zhang H Front Psychol. 2024; 15:1292808.

PMID: 38756493 PMC: 11098015. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1292808.

Updating beliefs about pain following advice: Trustworthiness of social advice predicts pain expectations and experience.

Krahe C, Koukoutsakis A, Fotopoulou A Cognition. 2024; 246:105756.

PMID: 38442585 PMC: 7616089. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105756.

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