Micro-bias and macro-performance

We use agent-based modeling to investigate the effect of conservatism and partisanship on the efficiency with which large populations solve the density classification task – a paradigmatic problem for information aggregation and consensus building. We find that conservative agents enhance the popula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The European physical journal. B, Condensed matter physics Vol. 67; no. 3; pp. 369 - 375
Main Authors:	Seaver, S. M.D., Moreira, A. A., Sales-Pardo, M., Malmgren, R. D., Diermeier, D., Amaral, L. A.N.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-02-2009 EDP Sciences
Subjects:	Complex Systems Condensed Matter Physics Exact sciences and technology Fluid- and Aerodynamics Interdisciplinary Physics Physics Physics and Astronomy Solid State Physics 87.23.Ge Dynamics of social systems 89.75.-k Complex systems Positions Modelling Performance Classification
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	We use agent-based modeling to investigate the effect of conservatism and partisanship on the efficiency with which large populations solve the density classification task – a paradigmatic problem for information aggregation and consensus building. We find that conservative agents enhance the populations’ ability to efficiently solve the density classification task despite large levels of noise in the system. In contrast, we find that the presence of even a small fraction of partisans holding the minority position will result in deadlock or a consensus on an incorrect answer. Our results provide a possible explanation for the emergence of conservatism and suggest that even low levels of partisanship can lead to significant social costs.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1434-6028 1434-6036
DOI:	10.1140/epjb/e2008-00406-4