IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chsofr/v194y2025ics0960077925001985.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of social learners on collective decision-making across varying interaction ranges

Author

Listed:
  • Wu, Hongshuai
  • Benko, Tina P.
  • Xu, Haojie
  • Zou, Kuan
  • Huang, Changwei

Abstract

The study of the impact of social learners on collective decision-making within a group has attracted considerable attention, but studies considering the influence of social learners on collective performance under different interaction ranges are still limited. In this study, we investigate the collective decision-making dynamics driven by merit and conformity within a structured population with limited interaction ranges. Our numerical simulation results show that when the fraction of social learners surpasses a critical threshold, a bistable state emerges, where the majority may eventually support either the higher- or lower-merit option. Furthermore, the critical threshold of the proportion of social learners is influenced not only by the relative merit of the two options but also by the interaction range of social learners. A larger relative merit leads to a higher critical threshold, while a larger interaction range results in a lower critical threshold.

Suggested Citation

  • Wu, Hongshuai & Benko, Tina P. & Xu, Haojie & Zou, Kuan & Huang, Changwei, 2025. "The impact of social learners on collective decision-making across varying interaction ranges," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:194:y:2025:i:c:s0960077925001985
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2025.116185
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960077925001985
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chaos.2025.116185?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vicky Chuqiao Yang & Mirta Galesic & Harvey McGuinness & Ani Harutyunyan, 2021. "Dynamical system model predicts when social learners impair collective performance," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(35), pages 2106292118-, August.
    2. Lin, Jingyan & Huang, Changwei & Dai, Qionglin & Yang, Junzhong, 2020. "Evolutionary game dynamics of combining the payoff-driven and conformity-driven update rules," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    3. Buechel, Berno & Hellmann, Tim & Klößner, Stefan, 2015. "Opinion dynamics and wisdom under conformity," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 240-257.
    4. Wang, Xiaoyue & He, Zhixue & Shi, Lei, 2024. "Conformity poses a double-edged sword effect on the evolution of cooperation within heterogeneous endowment populations," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    5. Zhang, Wei & Brandes, Ulrik, 2023. "Conformity versus credibility: A coupled rumor-belief model," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    6. Yang, Zhihu & Li, Zhi & Wang, Long, 2020. "Evolution of cooperation in a conformity-driven evolving dynamic social network," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 379(C).
    7. Buechel, Berno & Hellmann, Tim & Klößner, Stefan, 2015. "Opinion dynamics and wisdom under conformity," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 240-257.
    8. Han, Dun & Sun, Mei, 2014. "Can memory and conformism resolve the vaccination dilemma?," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 415(C), pages 95-104.
    9. Milch, Kerry F. & Weber, Elke U. & Appelt, Kirstin C. & Handgraaf, Michel J.J. & Krantz, David H., 2009. "From individual preference construction to group decisions: Framing effects and group processes," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 242-255, March.
    10. Zhang, Liming & Huang, Changwei & Li, Haihong & Dai, Qionglin & Yang, Junzhong, 2021. "Cooperation guided by imitation, aspiration and conformity-driven dynamics in evolutionary games," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 561(C).
    11. Xie, Meiling & Zeng, Ziyan & Li, Yuhan & Feng, Minyu, 2024. "Adherence strategy based on evolutionary games in epidemic spreading," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiao, Kun & Zhang, Hongfeng, 2025. "Utility of decisions and beliefs based on bounded-confidence opinion dynamics with group conformity," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    2. Zhang, Wei & Brandes, Ulrik, 2023. "Conformity versus credibility: A coupled rumor-belief model," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    3. Manuel Förster & Michel Grabisch & Agnieszka Rusinowska, 2012. "Ordered Weighted Averaging in Social Networks," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 12056, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    4. Rusinowska, Agnieszka & Taalaibekova, Akylai, 2019. "Opinion formation and targeting when persuaders have extreme and centrist opinions," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 9-27.
    5. Buechel, Berno & Klößner, Stefan & Meng, Fanyuan & Nassar, Anis, 2023. "Misinformation due to asymmetric information sharing," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    6. Prummer, Anja & Siedlarek, Jan-Peter, 2017. "Community leaders and the preservation of cultural traits," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 143-176.
    7. Riazi, Diana & Livan, Giacomo, 2024. "Public and private beliefs under disinformation in social networks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 637(C).
    8. Foerster, Manuel, 2019. "Dynamics of strategic information transmission in social networks," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 14(1), January.
    9. Prummer, Anja & Siedlarek, Jan-Peter, 2014. "Institutions And The Preservation Of Cultural Traits," Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems 470, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
    10. Grabisch, Michel & Poindron, Alexis & Rusinowska, Agnieszka, 2019. "A model of anonymous influence with anti-conformist agents," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    11. Förster, Manuel & Grabisch, Michel & Rusinowska, Agnieszka, 2013. "Anonymous social influence," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 621-635.
    12. Alexis Poindron & Nizar Allouch, 2024. "A Model of Competing Gangs in Networks," Games, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, February.
    13. Javarone, Marco Alberto, 2014. "Social influences in opinion dynamics: The role of conformity," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 414(C), pages 19-30.
    14. Gaetano Lisi, 2024. "Is Education the Best Tool to Fight Disinformation?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(4), pages 15996-16012, December.
    15. Grabisch, Michel & Rusinowska, Agnieszka, 2013. "A model of influence based on aggregation functions," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 316-330.
    16. Michel Grabisch & Agnieszka Rusinowska, 2020. "A Survey on Nonstrategic Models of Opinion Dynamics," Games, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-29, December.
    17. Michel Grabisch & Antoine Mandel & Agnieszka Rusinowska & Emily Tanimura, 2015. "Strategic influence in social networks," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-01158168, HAL.
    18. Buechel, Berno & Hellmann, Tim & Pichler, Michael M., 2014. "The dynamics of continuous cultural traits in social networks," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 274-309.
    19. Battiston, Pietro & Stanca, Luca, 2015. "Boundedly rational opinion dynamics in social networks: Does indegree matter?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 400-421.
    20. Pongou, Roland & Tchuente, Guy & Tondji, Jean-Baptiste, 2021. "Optimally Targeting Interventions in Networks during a Pandemic: Theory and Evidence from the Networks of Nursing Homes in the United States," GLO Discussion Paper Series 957, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:194:y:2025:i:c:s0960077925001985. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Thayer, Thomas R. (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/chaos-solitons-and-fractals .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.