Social information is only a reliable cue if current behavior already outperforms random.
Evidence
Individuals also can observe the behavior of other individuals in the population, and to the extent that individuals in the population are doing better than random, their behavior also provides a cue about the best behavior in the current local environment. The question is: How should psychology evolve to best use these two sources of information? It is important to keep in mind that the usefulness of social cues depends on how people have utilized both social and nonsocial information in the past; therefore, this question cannot be answered without taking into account how evolving psychology shapes observable behavior in the population over time. — Joe Henrich and Robert Boyd, The Evolution of Conformist…, 32
Categorization
- XREF: This sets up the foundational logic behind Boyd & Richerson’s conformist transmission framework that Henrich later popularizes. — connects to: Optimism about trust is rewarded only in relatively trustworthy social conditions — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 545; People adopt modeled behaviors only when they see similar others rewarded for them.
- DEFINE: Establishes the core premise: social cues inherit their usefulness from past adaptive behavior, making psychology itself an evolving variable.
Broader Connections
- Optimism about trust is rewarded only in relatively trustworthy social conditions
#qualifies(0.72) — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 545 - People adopt modeled behaviors only when they see similar others rewarded for them.
#expands(0.71)