Virtual peer pressure works just as well as the real thing

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.

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