How does social learning affect stable false beliefs?
Abstract
Learning traps are false beliefs that entrench themselves by discouraging the exploration required to correct them. In previous lab experiments, these learning traps have proven remarkably difficult to prevent. Here, we investigate whether learning traps remain stable in contexts in which both individual and social learning are possible. In two of our three experiments, we found that learners trapped with a false belief were significantly more likely to escape a learning trap when they were able to observe another decision-maker's choices. However, social learning was not a panacea. Trapped learners were constrained by the challenge of inferring others' beliefs, and they struggled to learn from partners with sub-optimal decision rules, even when their partner's choices were informative. Collectively, these results suggest that while social learning can help overcome the limits of individual learning, learning from others comes with its own challenges and limitations.
Keywords
Bibtex entry:
@inproceedings{budiono2024socialtrap,
abstract = {Learning traps are false beliefs that entrench themselves by discouraging the exploration required to correct them. In previous lab experiments, these learning traps have proven remarkably difficult to prevent. Here, we investigate whether learning traps remain stable in contexts in which both individual and social learning are possible. In two of our three experiments, we found that learners trapped with a false belief were significantly more likely to escape a learning trap when they were able to observe another decision-maker's choices. However, social learning was not a panacea. Trapped learners were constrained by the challenge of inferring others' beliefs, and they struggled to learn from partners with sub-optimal decision rules, even when their partner's choices were informative. Collectively, these results suggest that while social learning can help overcome the limits of individual learning, learning from others comes with its own challenges and limitations.},
address = {Austin, TX},
author = {Budiono, R. and Hartley, C.A. and Gureckis, T.M.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 46th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society},
organization = {Cognitive Science Society},
publisher = {Cognitive Science Society},
title = {How does social learning affect stable false beliefs?},
year = {2024}}QR Code:
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