?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=https%3A%2F%2Fpublications.ut-capitole.fr%2Fid%2Feprint%2F50468%2F&rft.title=Social+learning+preserves+both+useful+and+useless+theories+by+canalizing+learners%E2%80%99+exploration&rft.creator=Derex%2C+Maxime&rft.creator=Bonnefon%2C+Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois&rft.creator=Boyd%2C+Robert&rft.creator=McElreath%2C+Richard&rft.creator=Mesoudi%2C+Alex&rft.subject=B-+ECONOMIE+ET+FINANCE&rft.description=In+many+domains%2C+learning+from+others+is+crucial+for+leveraging+cumulative+cultural+knowledge%2C+which+encapsulates+the+efforts+of+successive+generations+of+innovators.+However%2C+anecdotal+and+experimental+evidence+suggests+that+reliance+on+social+information+can+reduce+the+exploration+of+the+problem+space.+Here%2C+we+experimentally+investigate+the+extent+to+which+cultural+transmission+fosters+the+persistence+of+arbitrary+solutions+in+a+context+where+participants+are+incentivized+to+improve+a+physical+system+across+multiple+trials.+Participants+were+exposed+to+various+theories+about+the+system%2C+ranging+from+accurate+to+misleading.+Our+findings+indicate+that+even+under+conditions+conducive+to+exploration%2C+the+transmission+of+cultural+knowledge+canalizes+learners%E2%80%99+focus%2C+limiting+their+consideration+of+alternative+solutions.+This+effect+was+observed+in+both+the+theories+produced+and+the+solutions+attempted+by+participants%2C+irrespective+of+the+accuracy+of+the+provided+theories.+These+results+challenge+the+notion+that+arbitrary+solutions+persist+only+when+they+are+efficient+or+intuitive+and+underscore+the+significant+role+of+cultural+transmission+in+shaping+human+knowledge+and+technologies.&rft.publisher=TSE+Working+Paper&rft.date=2025-02&rft.type=Monograph&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=text&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=https%3A%2F%2Fpublications.ut-capitole.fr%2Fid%2Feprint%2F50468%2F1%2Fwp_tse_1618.pdf&rft.identifier=++Derex%2C+Maxime+%3Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.idref.fr%2F146232739%3E%2C+Bonnefon%2C+Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois+%3Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.idref.fr%2F076374645%3E%2C+Boyd%2C+Robert+%3Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.idref.fr%2F028836642%3E%2C+McElreath%2C+Richard+%3Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.idref.fr%2F127698191%3E+and+Mesoudi%2C+Alex+%3Chttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.idref.fr%2F157498107%3E++(2025)+Social+learning+preserves+both+useful+and+useless+theories+by+canalizing+learners%E2%80%99+exploration.++TSE+Working+Paper%2C+n.+25-1618%2C+Toulouse+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Ftse-fr.eu%2Fpub%2F130345&rft.language=en