Abstract:

Despite the crucial role of social learning strategies (SLS) in human cultural evolution, their exact nature remains elusive. Traditionally, SLS have been viewed as domain-specific, fixed heuristics. However, mounting evidence challenges this perspective, suggesting that SLS are more adaptable and influenced by individual experiences. Here, we present a formal and empirical investigation into the role of domain-general reward learning in shaping SLS. Drawing upon associative learning theory, we propose the Social Feature Learning (SFL) model, which posits that individuals learn to associate social cues with personal rewards. We contrast the SFL model against the traditional heuristic account in four experiments (n = 1300), and consistently find it to provide a superior account of social learning. To establish the scope of the SFL model beyond the experiments, we used agent-based modeling and found that many classic SLS naturally emerge from reward learning mechanisms. In summary, this research provides a novel perspective on SLS, emphasizing the central role of reward learning. Our findings address empirical challenges to the traditional account and provide a parsimonious, mechanistic explanation of SLS. Our account contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving social learning, bridging theory and empirical evidence in the study of cultural evolution.

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Twitter: @B_Lindstroem