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Quality versus mere popularity: a conceptual map for understanding human behavior

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Abstract

We propose using a bi-axial map as a heuristic for categorizing different dynamics involved in the relationship between quality and popularity. The east–west axis represents the degree to which an agent’s decision is influenced by those of other agents. This ranges from the extreme western edge, where an agent learns individually (no outside influence), to the extreme eastern edge, where an agent is influenced by a large number of other agents. The vertical axis represents how easy or difficult it is for an agent to discern the relative quality of available choices. When a case study is located on the map, it becomes easier to select the range of tools to use for understanding and predicting the relation between quality and popularity.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Leverhulme Trust for its support of the Tipping Points program at Durham University, as well as the Institute of Advanced Study at Durham.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Bristol, 43 Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UU, UK

    R. Alexander Bentley

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, 317 Lowry Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Michael J. O’Brien

  3. Volterra Partners LLP, 56-58 Putney High Street, London, SW15 1SF, UK

    Paul Ormerod

  4. Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Paul Ormerod

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  1. R. Alexander Bentley
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  2. Michael J. O’Brien
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  3. Paul Ormerod
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Correspondence to R. Alexander Bentley.

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Bentley, R.A., O’Brien, M.J. & Ormerod, P. Quality versus mere popularity: a conceptual map for understanding human behavior. Mind Soc 10, 181–191 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11299-011-0087-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11299-011-0087-4

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