Evaluation Criteria for Learning Mechanisms applied to Agents in a Cross-Cultural Simulation

Summary

In problems with non-specific equilibrium, common in social sciences, the processes involved in learning mechanisms can produce quite different outcomes. However, it is quite difficult to define which of the learning mechanisms is the best. When considering the case of a cross-cultural environment, it is necessary to evaluate how adaptation to different cultures occurs while keeping, at some level, the cultural diversity among the groups. This paper focuses on identifying an evaluation criterion using a comparison of various learning mechanisms that can manage the trade-off between adaptation to a new culture and the preservation of cultural diversity. Results show that: (a) For small and gradual accuracy from a less accurate learning mechanism, there is a tiny reduction in the diversity while the convergence time drops rapidly. For an accuracy level close to the most accurate learning mechanism, a reduction of the convergence time can be minor, while the diversity drops rapidly; (b) The evaluation of learning mechanism that performs better for fast converging while simultaneously keeping a good diversity before the convergence was performed graphically.