Open AccessStable leaders pave the way for cooperation under time-dependent exploration rates
Author(s) -
Flávio L. Pinheiro,
Jorge M. Pacheco,
Francisco C. Santos
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
royal society open science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 51
ISSN - 2054-5703
DOI - 10.1098/rsos.200910
Subject(s) - selection (genetic algorithm) , dilemma , population , repertoire , dynamics (music) , adaptation (eye) , social network (sociolinguistics) , social dilemma , psychology , social psychology , computer science , cognitive psychology , sociology , mathematics , artificial intelligence , demography , physics , pedagogy , geometry , neuroscience , world wide web , acoustics , social media
The exploration of different behaviours is part of the adaptation repertoire of individuals to new environments. Here, we explore how the evolution of cooperative behaviour is affected by the interplay between exploration dynamics and social learning, in particular when individuals engage on prisoner’s dilemma along the edges of a social network. We show that when the population undergoes a transition from strong to weak exploration rates a decline in the overall levels of cooperation is observed. However, if the rate of decay is lower in highly connected individuals (Leaders) than for the less connected individuals (Followers) then the population is able to achieve higher levels of cooperation. Finally, we show that minor differences in selection intensities (the degree of determinism in social learning) and individual exploration rates, can translate into major differences in the observed collective dynamics.