Conformity to continuous and discrete ordered traits

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Evolutionary Biology
• Computational Social Science

Background:

• Traditional models of conformity often overlook ordered cultural traits.
• Conformity to ordered traits is typically defined by preference for the population mean, regardless of variant distribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and analyze models of conformity and anticonformity for ordered cultural traits (discrete and continuous).
• To introduce a new metric, "beta-dispersal," to quantify variant popularity on a continuum.
• To investigate the impact of conformity and anticonformity on population trait variation and polarization.

Main Methods:

• Development of mathematical models for conformity and anticonformity to ordered traits.
• Introduction of the "beta-dispersal" metric to measure variant popularity.
• Agent-based simulations to explore population dynamics under different parameter values.

Main Results:

• Conformity to ordered traits does not necessarily lead to population homogeneity, contrary to previous claims.
• Under specific conditions, conformity can sustain significant trait variation across generations.
• Anticonformity was observed to potentially drive high levels of trait polarization.

Conclusions:

• The study challenges existing assumptions about conformity's effect on cultural trait diversity.
• The findings suggest that conformity can be a mechanism for maintaining variation in populations with ordered traits.
• The research highlights the potential for anticonformity to create distinct, polarized trait distributions.