(Reproduced from Chung et al., [8] with permission) Computer-generated other options have no influence on participants’ choices.

<p>As a control analysis for the 2015 study introducing this task [<a href="http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012602#pcbi.1012602.ref008" target="_blank">8</a>], we performed a ‘computer control’ on 30 healthy participants. Specifically, to assess whether the observed influence of others was a social or more general information effect (e.g., priming with visual information), we implemented a separate behavioral experiment instructing participants that ‘Info’ trials were computer-generated choices. The visual aspects and trial structure of the original game were maintained, and as in the original task, participants chose between two gambles. Participants were instructed that on some trials (previously the ‘Info’ trials), prior to the participant’s decision, two computers would randomly pick among the options, and these two options would be presented (‘Computer Info’ trials). As in the original experiment, ‘Solo’ trials were interspersed with the Computer Info trials. No influence of computer-selected options on participants’ choices was observed (repeated measures ANOVA, F(3, 87) = 0.71, P = 0.55; paired t-tests: Safe vs Solo, t(29) = 0.61, P = 0.55; Mix vs Solo, t(29) = 0.90, P = 0.37; Risky vs Solo, t(29) = -0.52, P = 0.37). Error bars show s.e.m.</p> <p>(PDF)</p>