Virtual peer pressure works just as well as the real thing

(NYU Tandon School of Engineering) Peer pressure is a proven social motivator. Researchers probed this decidedly human attribute and found that not only is virtual pressure from a computer-simulated peer just as motivating as the real thing, but that 'fake' competition is effective as well.Researchers formulated a mathematical model of human behavior that successfully predicted group responses across conditions -- one they hope researchers will use to overcome the difficult task of encouraging participation in scientific projects.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2bzKgB7