Cognitive and ecological basis of collective intelligence

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25245063
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social psychology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo (2014-2015); Hokkaido University (2013)
• Principal Investigator: Kameda Tatsuya 東京大学, 人文社会系研究科, 教授 (20214554)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAKAMARU Mayuko 東京工業大学, 大学院社会理工学研究科, 准教授 (70324332) ; TAKAHASHI Nobuyuki 北海道大学, 大学院文学研究科, 准教授 (80333582) ; INUKAI Keigo 大阪大学, 社会経済研究所, 講師 (80706945)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 集合知 / ヒト集団 / アリコロニー / 計算論的アルゴリズム / 行動実験 / インターネット実験 / 数理モデル / 比較

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined how "collective intelligence" emerges in human groups, by conceptually linking it to "swarm intelligence" by social insects -- the macro phenomenon that has attracted considerable attention in biology and informatics. By collaborating researchers of ants, we experimentally examined information search behavior by 40 colonies of ants (each with about 200 individuals) as well as 40 human groups ((each with about 200 individuals). Results showed that, compared to ant colonies, human groups exhibited greater frequency-dependent conformity bias, which decreased their plasticity in response to changes in adaptive environment.

Free Research Field

社会心理学、意思決定科学、行動生態学