Decoding fairness: a reinforcement learning perspective

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Zheng, Guozhong, Zhang, Jiqiang, Ou, Xin, Deng, Shengfeng, Chen, Li
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Zheng, Guozhong
Zhang, Jiqiang
Ou, Xin
Deng, Shengfeng
Chen, Li
author_facet Zheng, Guozhong
Zhang, Jiqiang
Ou, Xin
Deng, Shengfeng
Chen, Li
contents Behavioral experiments on the ultimatum game (UG) reveal that we humans prefer fair acts, which contradicts the prediction made in orthodox Economics. Existing explanations, however, are mostly attributed to exogenous factors within the imitation learning framework. Here, we adopt the reinforcement learning paradigm, where individuals make their moves aiming to maximize their accumulated rewards. Specifically, we apply Q-learning to UG, where each player is assigned two Q-tables to guide decisions for the roles of proposer and responder. In a two-player scenario, fairness emerges prominently when both experiences and future rewards are appreciated. In particular, the probability of successful deals increases with higher offers, which aligns with observations in behavioral experiments. Our mechanism analysis reveals that the system undergoes two phases, eventually stabilizing into fair or rational strategies. These results are robust when the rotating role assignment is replaced by a random or fixed manner, or the scenario is extended to a latticed population. Our findings thus conclude that the endogenous factor is sufficient to explain the emergence of fairness, exogenous factors are not needed.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_16249
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Decoding fairness: a reinforcement learning perspective
Zheng, Guozhong
Zhang, Jiqiang
Ou, Xin
Deng, Shengfeng
Chen, Li
Machine Learning
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
Physics and Society
Populations and Evolution
Behavioral experiments on the ultimatum game (UG) reveal that we humans prefer fair acts, which contradicts the prediction made in orthodox Economics. Existing explanations, however, are mostly attributed to exogenous factors within the imitation learning framework. Here, we adopt the reinforcement learning paradigm, where individuals make their moves aiming to maximize their accumulated rewards. Specifically, we apply Q-learning to UG, where each player is assigned two Q-tables to guide decisions for the roles of proposer and responder. In a two-player scenario, fairness emerges prominently when both experiences and future rewards are appreciated. In particular, the probability of successful deals increases with higher offers, which aligns with observations in behavioral experiments. Our mechanism analysis reveals that the system undergoes two phases, eventually stabilizing into fair or rational strategies. These results are robust when the rotating role assignment is replaced by a random or fixed manner, or the scenario is extended to a latticed population. Our findings thus conclude that the endogenous factor is sufficient to explain the emergence of fairness, exogenous factors are not needed.
title Decoding fairness: a reinforcement learning perspective
topic Machine Learning
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
Physics and Society
Populations and Evolution
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.16249