eprintid: 50468 rev_number: 8 eprint_status: archive userid: 1482 importid: 105 dir: disk0/00/05/04/68 datestamp: 2025-02-13 11:09:56 lastmod: 2025-02-13 11:12:07 status_changed: 2025-02-13 11:09:56 type: monograph metadata_visibility: no_search creators_name: Derex, Maxime creators_name: Bonnefon, Jean-François creators_name: Boyd, Robert creators_name: McElreath, Richard creators_name: Mesoudi, Alex creators_idrefppn: 146232739 creators_idrefppn: 076374645 creators_idrefppn: 028836642 creators_idrefppn: 127698191 creators_idrefppn: 157498107 creators_halaffid: 1002422; 506116; 441569 creators_halaffid: 1002422; 506116; 441569 title: Social learning preserves both useful and useless theories by canalizing learners’ exploration ispublished: pub subjects: subjects_ECO abstract: In many domains, learning from others is crucial for leveraging cumulative cultural knowledge, which encapsulates the efforts of successive generations of innovators. However, anecdotal and experimental evidence suggests that reliance on social information can reduce the exploration of the problem space. Here, 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, ranging from accurate to misleading. Our findings indicate that even under conditions conducive to exploration, the transmission of cultural knowledge canalizes learners’ focus, limiting their consideration of alternative solutions. This effect was observed in both the theories produced and the solutions attempted by participants, 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. date: 2025-02 date_type: published publisher: TSE Working Paper official_url: http://tse-fr.eu/pub/130345 faculty: tse divisions: tse keywords: cultural evolution keywords: cumulative culture keywords: innovation, cultural inertia keywords: social learning language: en has_fulltext: TRUE view_date_year: 2025 full_text_status: public monograph_type: working_paper series: TSE Working Paper volume: 25-1618 place_of_pub: Toulouse pages: 25 institution: Université Toulouse 1 Capitole department: Toulouse School of Economics book_title: TSE Working Paper oai_identifier: oai:tse-fr.eu:130345 harvester_local_overwrite: pending harvester_local_overwrite: note harvester_local_overwrite: department harvester_local_overwrite: creators_idrefppn harvester_local_overwrite: creators_halaffid harvester_local_overwrite: institution harvester_local_overwrite: place_of_pub harvester_local_overwrite: pages harvester_local_overwrite: title harvester_local_overwrite: hal_id harvester_local_overwrite: hal_version harvester_local_overwrite: hal_url harvester_local_overwrite: hal_passwd oai_lastmod: 2025-02-12T10:06:14Z oai_set: tse site: ut1 hal_id: hal-04945569 hal_passwd: n&8hof hal_version: 1 hal_url: https://hal.science/hal-04945569 citation: Derex, Maxime , Bonnefon, Jean-François , Boyd, Robert , McElreath, Richard and Mesoudi, Alex (2025) Social learning preserves both useful and useless theories by canalizing learners’ exploration. TSE Working Paper, n. 25-1618, Toulouse document_url: https://publications.ut-capitole.fr/id/eprint/50468/1/wp_tse_1618.pdf