Dynamic modelling of travellers’ social interactions and social learning

Abstract

Social interaction and social learning are likely to be influential factors in the travel choices made by individuals and the dynamics of these choices. This study aims to understand the influence these social aspects have on travellers’ decision making and behaviour. Furthermore, this research seeks to find out the possibility of utilising this understanding to enhance policies on behavioural change. Social interactions, which may due to an interdependent situation between travellers, social information about other travellers’ behaviour and communication between travellers enable social learning and social influence processes between travellers. Social psychology theories have been used to provide the underlying framework for the study as well as the methods for analysing the data using the individual and social learning models. This study utilises a laboratory experiment to capture the role of social interactions and social learning in the dynamics of travellers’ decision making over time. A major finding of the laboratory experiment is that social interaction and social learning influence individuals’ behaviour. However providing more social information makes people behave in a less cooperative way and be more unstable in making choices. It also influences more people to make contrarian than direct responses. Analyses reveal that people learn individually from their previous experience and socially from other people. It is revealed that confirmation (keeping previous behaviour when observed individuals also chose the same choice) and conformity (following the choice of the majority) are exhibited whenever individuals have access to social information, and therefore could be incorporated into models of travel choice. These findings elicit some behavioural, policy and methodological insights.