Tipping Points for Norm Change in Human Cultures

Abstract

Humans interact with each other on a daily basis by developing and maintaining various social norms and it is critical to form a deeper understanding of how such norms develop, how they change, and how fast they change. In this work, we develop an evolutionary game-theoretic model based on research in cultural psychology that shows that humans in various cultures differ in their tendencies to conform with those around them. Using this model, we analyze the evolutionary relationships between the tendency to conform and how quickly a population reacts when conditions make a change in norm desirable. Our analysis identifies conditions when a tipping point is reached in a population, causing norms to change rapidly.

Are Collectivistic Cultures More Prone to Rapid Transformation? Computational Models of Cross-Cultural Differences, Social Network Structure, Dynamic Social Influence, and Cultural Change

“…In some respects, the latter effect is complementary to a result obtained from models described by De et al (2018) who found that cultural differences in susceptibility to others' influence-which they modeled in an operationally different way-predicted a tendency for populations to reach a "tipping point" at which large numbers of people adopt a new norm in a short period of time. Our models differ from those of De et al (2018) in the operational details and therefore offer a useful complementarity. Not only might more highly influenceable populations be more prone to tipping points, they may also be more prone to the acquisition of new normative beliefs.…”

“…Some recent computational modeling projects have produced results predicting cross-cultural variability in the adoption of new cultural norms (De et al, 2018). This work, which is summarized in the next section, is relevant to our own models, which focus on cultural differences in individuals' susceptibility to social influence and on cultural differences in the social networks through which this influence occurs.…”

“…Attesting to this possibility are modeling results described by De et al (2018). Working within a game-theoretic framework, De et al (2018) modeled cultural differences in individuals' tendency to conform to a majority of others even at the expense of sacrificing personal benefit and computed consequences for the rate of norm change within a population. These models showed that (compared with populations defined by relatively low levels of conformity) populations defined by higher levels of conformity are likely to exhibit greater initial resistance to norm change and also a greater likelihood of exhibiting a "tipping point" phenomenon in which large numbers of individuals suddenly adopt a new norm.…”

“…The models described in De et al (2018) are innovative and the results are important, but they are not without limitations. Modeling outputs are necessarily contingent upon the specific ways in which conceptual variables and processes are mathematically operationalized, and it is useful to construct additional models that employ different methods to operationalize key variables and processes.…”

“…One notable feature of the models employed by De et al (2018) is that those models assumed that all individuals were connected to all other individuals, and so all individuals had equal opportunities to influence (and be influenced by) all other individuals within a population. Another feature is that these were homogeneous populations where all individuals were equally susceptible to influence.…”