Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40877407›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

The evolution of discrimination under finite memory constraints.

Andrew W Lo, Ruixun Zhang, Chaoyi Zhao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Andrew W LoMIT, Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
Ruixun ZhangPeking University, School of Mathematical Sciences, Beijing, 100871, China.
Chaoyi ZhaoMIT, Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA. cy_zhao@mit.edu.

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China 2022YFA1007900National Natural Science Foundation of China 12271013
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

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.

Indexed as

Biological EvolutionMemoryHumansSelection, GeneticDiscriminationEducationEvolutionFinite memoryMutationPolicymaking

Identifiers

PMID40877407
PMCPMC12394590

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.