Advice Vs. Experience: Genes Predict Learning Style

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419205534.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 27, 2011) — Researchers at Brown University have found that specific genetic variations can predict how persistently people will believe advice they are given, even when it is contradicted by experience.

----- (skipping)

"People will distort what they experience to be perceived as more consistent with what they thought already," said Frank, who is also affiliated with the Brown Institute for Brain Science.

----- (skipping)

It may seem like having the genes for a strong-willed prefrontal cortex and an overly obsequious striatum could make people dangerously oblivious to reality, but Frank said there's a good reason for brains to be hardwired to believe in advice: Advice is often right and convenient.

People inclined to follow instructions from others, albeit to varying degrees based on their genes, can make sensible decisions much more quickly than if they had to learn the right thing to do from experience. In some cases (e.g., "Danger: high voltage") experience is a very dangerous way to learn. But in other cases (e.g. "The cable guy should be there at 1 p.m." or "This slot machine pays off"), believing in advice for too long is just foolish.

"It's funny because we are telling a story about how these genes lead to maladaptive performance, but that's actually reflective of a system that evolved to be that way for an adaptive reason," Frank said. "This phenomenon of confirmation bias might actually just be a byproduct of a system that tries to be more efficient with the learning process."

..