NACS Seminar: Dr. Bill Thompson

Experimental diffusion of social norms

Many of our everyday social interactions rely on learned social norms. For example, norms of sharing space, taking turns, or waiting in line make our lives substantially easier by prescribing predictably-structured procedures for common situations. However, surprisingly little is known about the emergence and evolution of algorithmically-structured procedures that become social norms – why do some norms seem complex, while others over-simplify complex situations? I will present the results of a large behavioral experiment designed to examine this question. The results suggest that the structure of social norms is shaped by a fundamental trade-off between complexity and utility.   

Dr. Bill Thompson is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

NACS Seminars are free and open to the public.