Lo Andrew W, Zhang Ruixun, Zhao Chaoyi
MIT, Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
MIT, Laboratory for Financial Engineering, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 28;15(1):31774. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-17089-9.
We develop an evolutionary model for individual discriminatory behavior that emerges naturally in a mixed population as an adaptive strategy. Our findings show that, when individuals have finite memory and face uncertain environments, they may rely on prior biases and observable group traits to make decisions, changing their discriminatory practices. We also demonstrate that a finite memory is a consequence of natural selection because it leads to higher fitness in dynamic environments with mutations. This adaptability allows individuals with finite memory to better respond to environmental variability, offering a potential evolutionary advantage. Our study suggests that memory constraints and environmental changes are critical factors in sustaining biased behavior, suggesting insights into the persistence of discrimination in real-world settings and possible mitigation strategies across fields, including education, policymaking, and artificial intelligence.
我们开发了一种用于个体歧视行为的进化模型，这种行为在混合群体中自然出现，是一种适应性策略。我们的研究结果表明，当个体具有有限记忆并面对不确定环境时，他们可能会依赖先前的偏见和可观察到的群体特征来做出决策，从而改变他们的歧视行为。我们还证明，有限记忆是自然选择的结果，因为它在有突变的动态环境中会带来更高的适应性。这种适应性使具有有限记忆的个体能够更好地应对环境变化，提供了一种潜在的进化优势。我们的研究表明，记忆限制和环境变化是维持偏见行为的关键因素，这为理解现实世界中歧视的持续存在以及包括教育、政策制定和人工智能在内的各个领域可能的缓解策略提供了见解。
