Overcoming Individual Limitations Through Distributed Computation: Rational Information Accumulation in Multigenerational Populations

• Published in: Topics in cognitive science Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 550 - 573
• Main Authors: Hardy, Mathew D., Krafft, Peaks M., Thompson, Bill, Griffiths, Thomas L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.07.2022
• Subjects: Bayes Theorem; Bayesian inference; Collective intelligence; Cultural evolution; Distributed computation; Group rationality; Humans; Intelligence; Knowledge; Rationality; Social learning; Collective intelligence; Distributed computation; Social learning; Cultural evolution; Group rationality; Bayesian inference

Many of the computational problems people face are difficult to solve under the limited time and cognitive resources available to them. Overcoming these limitations through social interaction is one of the most distinctive features of human intelligence. In this paper, we show that information accum...