title: Self-segregation versus clustering in the evolutionary minority game.
abstract: Complex adaptive systems have been the subject of much recent attention. It is by now well established that members ("agents") tend to self-segregate into opposing groups characterized by extreme behavior. However, the study of such adaptive systems has mostly been restricted to simple situations in which the prize-to-fine ratio R equals unity. In this Letter we explore the dynamics of evolving populations with various different values of the ratio R, and demonstrate that extreme behavior is in fact not a generic feature of adaptive systems. In particular, we show that "confusion" and "indecisiveness" take over in times of depression, in which case cautious agents perform better than extreme ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Shahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hod
authors.forename: Ehud
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakar
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005075:Biological Evolution; D008962:Models, Theoretical