Observational Learning and Intelligence

14 July 2016
14 July 2016
Contatti: 
Doctoral School of Social Sciences
via Verdi 26, 38122 - Trento
Tel. 
+39 0461 283756 - 2290
Fax 
+39 0461 282335

Skype: school.socialsciences

2 PM, room 3E, Department of Economics and Management

Speaker: Alexander Vostroknutov - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento

Abstract

We study experimentally how individuals learn from observing the choices of others in a non -stationary stochastic environment. The imitation choices of participants with low score in an intelligence test are driven solely by the value of imitation. High intelligence score participants, in addition, use choices of others to better understand the environment. They imitate more when other's choices are stable, which makes them more optimal than low score participants. The knowledge that the observed other has high intelligence score affects behavior of only low score participants. Overall, intelligence predicts the usage of simple or sophisticated observational learning strategy.

The paper is co-authored with Luca Polonio and Giorgio Coricelli

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application/pdfPoster - Vostroknutov(PDF | 5 MB)