title: Micro-bias and macro-performance.
abstract: We use agent-based modeling to investigate the effect of conservatism and partisanship on the efficiency with which large populations solve the density classification task - a paradigmatic problem for information aggregation and consensus building. We find that conservative agents enhance the populations' ability to efficiently solve the density classification task despite large levels of noise in the system. In contrast, we find that the presence of even a small fraction of partisans holding the minority position will result in deadlock or a consensus on an incorrect answer. Our results provide a possible explanation for the emergence of conservatism and suggest that even low levels of partisanship can lead to significant social costs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: S M D
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Seaver
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Ceará, Brazil.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sales-Pardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Malmgren
authors.affiliation: Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Diermeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: L A N
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Amaral