WATARU TOYOKAWA, PHD
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/watarutoyokawa/homeP.O. Box 43, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
wataru.toyokawa@uni-konstanz.de (30 January 2023)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Unit Leader (PI)Computational Group Dynamics Unit
RIKEN CBS Toyota Collaboration Centre (BTCC), Japan

1 April 2023 -Research Scientist
Department of Psychology: Social Psychology and Decision Sciences
University of Konstanz, Germany

1 March 2019 -JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of St Andrews, Scotland
The Graduate University of Advanced Science, Japan
A joint appointment

1 April 2017 – February 2019

JSPS Overseas Research Fellow
School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Scotland

1 April 2015 – 31 March 2017

JSPS Doctoral Research Fellow (DC1)
Department of Behavioral Science, Hokkaido University, Japan
Doctoral student fellow

1 April 2012 – 31 March 2015

EDUCATION
Ph.D. Behavioural Science
Department of Behavioral Science
Graduate School of Humanities and Human Sciences
Hokkaido University, Sapporo(Supervisor: Professor Tatsuya Kameda)

1 April 2012 - March 2015

M.Sc. Behavioural Science
Department of Behavioral Science
Graduate School of Humanities and Human Sciences
Hokkaido University, Sapporo(Supervisor: Professor Tatsuya Kameda)

April 2010 - March 2012

B.Sc. Theoretical Ecology and Fisheries Science
Department of Marine Biology
School of Fisheries Sciences
Hokkaido University, Hakodate(Supervisor: Dr Kinya Nishimura)

April 2006 - March 2010

HONOURS AND AWARDSJSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (PD)2017

JSPS Overseas Research Fellowship

2015

Young Researcher’s Presentation Award
6th conference of Human Behavior and Evolution Society Japan2013

Research Incentive Award
Hokkaido Psychological Society

2013The Best-Poster Award
31st conference of Japan Ethological Society (JPY 5,000)

2012

Young Researcher’s Presentation Award
5th conference of Human Behavior and Evolution Society Japan
JSPS Doctoral Research Fellowship (DC1)

2012
2012

RESEARCH GRANTS
Association of Psychological Science William K. and Katherine W. Estes Fund“Computational Summer school on Modelling Social andcollective behaviour (COSMOS) in Konstanz 2023”
Co-organising with Dr Charley M. Wu (University of Tübingen)(USD 11,000)

2023

Association of Psychological Science William K. and Katherine W. Estes Fund“COSMOS Konstanz 2022”
Co-organising with Dr Charley M. Wu(USD 16,000 / EUR 13,810 from the Estes Fund)(EUR 9,290 from the CASCB small Project grant)

2022

The CASCB 2021 Large Project“Collective foraging and social search in vast decision-making spaces”
Co-PI with Professor Wolfgang Gaissmaier and Dr Hansjörg Neth
(EUR 216,305)

2022 - 2024

The CASCB Small Project grant“A Computational Approach to Information-Sharing andSocial Generalization in Collective Risky Decision-making”(EUR 9,600)

2020 - 2021

The Committee on Research (AFF) research grantInternal grant of University of Konstanz(EUR 5,000)

2019

JPSP KAKENHI Grant-in-aid for JSPS Postdoctoral Fellows
17J01559 (GBP 28,100/JPY 4,090,000)

2017-2020

JSPS Overseas Research Fellowship(JPY 5,256,000 (GBP 32,000) per year)

2015-2017

The Suntory Foundation Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists(GBP 7,000/JPY 1,000,000)
JPSP KAKENHI Grant-in-aid for JSPS Doctoral Student Fellow
24004583 (GBP 21,000/JPY 3,000,000)2016
2012-2015

Student Travel Award, European Human Behaviour and Evolution
Association Annual Meeting 2013 (GBP 100)2013

Hokkaido University Conference Travel Grant(GBP 1,400/JPY 200,000)

2011

Hokkaido University Conference Travel Grant(GBP 700/JPY 100,000)

2010

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Research Scientist in Konstanz
March 2019 – Present

· Using both mathematical modelling and large-scale online behavioural experimentation, I study conformist influence social learning under risk and uncertainty (e.g. Toyokawa & Gaissmaier, 2022, eLife), trying to bridge atheoretical gap between the individual-level computational mechanisms and the emergent patterns of collective
animal behaviour. I have obtained two research grants for my ongoing research.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellow in St Andrews
April 2015 – March 2019
· During this time, I was a post-doctoral research fellow collaborating with Professor Kevin N. Laland, looking
at computational bases of human social learning strategies and collective intelligence (Toyokawa et al. 2019,
Nature Human Behaviour). I am also a theoretical ecologist using population dynamics and evolutionary games,
interested in socio-cultural influences on ecological sustainability (e.g., Toyokawa, 2017, Roy Soc Open Science).
PhD research project in Hokkaido
April 2012 – March 2015
· Utilising behavioural laboratory experiments combined with eye-tracking techniques, I investigated (1) human
information gathering behaviour in a collective learning situation (Toyokawa et al. 2014, PLoS ONE) and (2)individual differences in learning strategies (Toyokawa et al. 2017, Evol Hum Behav).
TEACHING EXPERIENCES
I take a hybrid approach where home-works and assignments are uploaded online, while discussions and seminars
are done on the university campus (if the situation allows). In past years, I have developed a step-by-steptutorial for computational modelling and agent-based simulation for psychology undergraduate students (the codeis available online). I have also developed an online course ”Data handling and visualisation in R” for psychology
undergraduate students in Konstanz. All the courses I have taught so far was in English.
The list of the course I have done so far is as follows:
University of Konstanz
Seminar on Motivation and Emotion
Seminar on Social Psychology
Individual based modelling using R [Materials]
Practical training on experimental psychology
Introductory data science and visualisation for psychology
Seminar on social learning, collective behaviour, and cultural evolution

SS 2019, 2020
WS 2021, 2022
SS 2020
SS 2019, 2020, 2022
WS 2019, 2020
WS 2019, 2020

As a guest lectureer
Computational mechanisms of social learning, CHAIN winter school

Hokkaido University 2021

RELEVANT RESEARCH SKILLS
Computer-based behavioural lab experimentation
Toolkit: z-Tree, Python (PsychoPy) and Tobii eye-tracker
Large-scale online multi-player behavioural experimentation
Toolkit: Node.js + express with Phaser game engine
Advanced statistical analysis(e.g. Bayesian GLMMs, hidden Markov process models, and reinforcement learning)
Toolkit: R and Stan
Mathematical modelling(e.g. population dynamics and reinforcement learning models)
Toolkit: Mathematica, R, and Python
PUBLICATIONS
Peer reviewed journal articles

1. Toyokawa W and Gaissmaier W. (2022) Conformist social learning leads to self-organised prevention against
adverse bias in risky decision making. eLife, 11:e75308 (doi: 10.7554/eLife.75308). [Press Release]
2. Kameda T, Toyokawa W and Tindale RS. (2022) Information Aggregation and Collective Intelligencebeyond the Wisdom of Crowds. Nature Reviews Psychology. (doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-02200054-y)
3. Laland KN, Toyokawa W and Oudman T. (2019) Animal Learning as a Source of Developmental Bias.
Evolution and Development. (doi: 10.1111/ede.12311)
4. Toyokawa W, Whalen A and Laland KN. (2019). Social learning strategies regulate the wisdom andmadness of interactive crowds. Nature Human Behaviour, 3: 183-193. (doi: 10.1038/s41562-018-0518-x).
[Press Release] [Behind the Paper] [The Conversation]
5. Kim H, Toyokawa W and Kameda T. (2019). How do we decide when (not) to free-ride? Risk tolerance predicts adaptation of cooperation levels in new settings. Evolution and Human Behavior, 40: 55-64.
(doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.08.001)
6. Cimino A, Toyokawa W, Komatsu M, Thomson R, and Gaulin S J (2019). Cross-Cultural and CrossOrganizational Evidence for an Evolved Hazing Motivation. Evolutionary Psychology, 17(4), 1474704919887943.
7. Muthukrishna M, Henrich J, Toyokawa W, Hamamura T, Kameda T, and Heine S J. (2018). Overconfidence is Universal? Elicitation of Genuine Overconfidence (Ego) Method Reveals Systematic Differences
Across Domain, Task Knowledge, and Incentives in Four Populations. PLoS ONE, 13(8): e0202288. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0202288)
8. Toyokawa W. (2017). Scrounging by foragers can resolve the paradox of enrichment. Royal Society OpenScience, 4: 160830. (doi:10.1098/rsos.160830)
9. Toyokawa W, Saito Y and Kameda T. (2017). Individual differences in learning behaviours in humans:
Asocial exploration tendency does not predict reliance on social learning. Evolution and Human Behavior,
38 (3): 325-333. (doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.11.001)
10. Gregory A. Bryant, Daniel M.T. Fessler, Riccardo Fusaroli, Edward Clint, Lene Aarøe, Coren L. Apicella,Michael Bang Petersen, Shaneikiah T. Bickham, Alexander Bolyanatz, Brenda Chavez, Delphine De Smet,Cinthya Dı́az, Jana Fančovičová, Michal Fux, Paulina Giraldo-Perez, Anning Hu, Shanmukh V. Kamble,Tatsuya Kameda, Norman P. Li, Francesca R. Luberti, Pavol Prokop, Katinka Quintelier, Brooke A Scelza,Hyun Jung Shin, Montserrat Soler, Stefan Stieger, Toyokawa W, Ellis A. van den Hende, Hugo VicianaAsensio, Saliha Elif Yildizhan, Jose C. Yong, Tessa Yuditha, and Yi Zhou (2016). Detecting affiliation inco-laughter across 24 societies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113 (17), 4682-4687. (doi:10.1073/pnas.1524993113)
11. Toyokawa W, Kim H and Kameda T. (2014). Human collective intelligence under dual explorationexploitation dilemmas. PLoS ONE 9(4): e95789. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095789)
12. Toyokawa W and Kameda T. (2014). Experimental study on social learning and swarm intelligence effectin the ’exploration-exploitation dilemma’. Hokkaido Psychological Research, 36, 1-14. (in Japanese, pdf)
13. Toyokawa W and Kameda T. (2013). Toward a synthetic understanding of collective decision-making byhumans and non-human animals. The Japanese Journal of Animal Psychology, 63, 2, 107-122. (in Japanese,Link)
14. Kameda T, Wisdom T, Toyokawa W and Inukai K. (2012). Is consensus-seeking unique to humans? A
selective review of animal group decision-making and its implications for (human) social psychology. Group
Processes & Intergroup Relations, 15, 673-689. (doi: 10.1177/1368430212451863)
Book chapters
1. Laland KN, Oudman T, and Toyokawa W. (February 2022) How Learning Affects Evolution. In M. A.
Krause, K. L. Hollis, & M. P. Papini (Eds.), Evolution of Learning and Memory Mechanisms, Cambridge
University Press.

2. Kameda, T, Inukai, K, Wisdom, T and Toyokawa W (2015). Herd behavior: Its psychological and neural
underpinnings. In S. Grundmann, F. Moeslein & K. Riesenhuber (Eds.), Contract governance. (Pp. 61-71).
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Papers submitted or in preparation
1. Toyokawa W. (in prep). Collective behavioural rescue emerging from positive and negative feedback.
2. Toyokawa W and Giese H. (in prep.). Cooperative information sharing can undermine the accuracy ofrisky decision-making.
3. Toyokawa W, Ito M, Ohtsuki H, Fogarty L, and Laland K (in prep.). The evolution of cooperative information giving and following in risky environments.
4. Witt A, Toyokawa W, Gaissmaier W, Laland K, and Wu C. (in prep.). Social learning strategies among
heterogeneous value functions.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, WORKSHOPS, AND SEMINARS
Invited keynotes and seminar talks• Invited talk: ”Computational modelling of the frequency-based social learning and its connection to thegroup dynamics”. The nEuro-economics seminar series at the ENS in Paris. March 2023.
• Invited talk: ”Conformity among biased individuals”. Strategic Organization Design group at the Universityof Southern Denmark. March 2023.
• Invited talk: “Understanding combined decision making & cultural transmissions through a reinforcement
learning framework”. CASCB Seminar Series, Konstanz (online). Hosted by the Centre for the Advanced
Study of Collective Behaviour. June 2021.
• Keynote talk: ”Large-scale online experimentation and computational modelling approach to human collective behaviour” at Strategic Social Learning – An EHBEA 2020 Satellite Meeting, 1 April 2020, Krakow(postponed due to COVID-19).
• Invited talk: “Social learning leads to collective behavioural rescue”. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology, Leipzig. Hosted by Professor Richard McElreath. January 2020.
• Invited talk: “Human social learning, collective intelligence and herding”. University of Exeter, Cornwall.
Hosted by Dr Alex Mesoudi. September 2017.
• Invited talk: “Social learning can shape collective behaviour and macro-ecological dynamics”. ARC group,Max Planck Institute, Berlin. Hosted by Dr Ralf Kurvers. November 2017.
• Invited talk: “Can human show swarm intelligence through word-of-mouth?” The 7th Inuyama Comparative
Social Cognition Symposium, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University. Hosted by Professor MasakiTomonaga. March 2012
Peer-reviewed conference presentations• Conformist social learning leads to self-organised prevention against adverse bias in risky decision making.
CES meeting 2022. September 2022, Aarhus. [lightning talk]• Dynamics of risk regulates cooperation in an incomplete-information game with bandit payoff feedback.
EHBEA annual meeting 2022. April, Leipzig (online due to COVID-19). [talk]• Collective behavioural rescue: social reinforcement learning promotes adaptive behavioural-shift in risky
decision-making. EHBEA annual meeting 2021. 27 March, Krakow (online due to COVID-19). [talk]• Collective rescue: social reinforcement learning promotes adaptive behavioural-shift in risky decision-making.
Collective Information Processing Workshop. 4-6 March, Berlin. [talk]• Social learning strategies regulate collective intelligence. ALIFE 2019 Workshop Computational Approaches
to Social Dynamics. 2 August 2019, Newcastle upon Tyne. [talk]• Collective decision-making in a multi-player multi-armed bandit. ASAB Summer Meeting, Konstanz, August
2019. [poster]• Social learning strategies regulate the wisdom and madness of interactive crowds. ICPS2019, Paris, 7-9
March 2019 [poster]• Social learning strategies and word-of-mouths regulate human collective intelligence. CBEN2018, Antwerp,
22-23 November 2018. [talk]• Social learning can regulate the wisdom and madness of interactive crowds. Culture Conference 2018. 12-13
July, 2018, Stirling, Scotland. [Poster]• From social learning to collective human behaviour. Inaugural Cultural Evolution Society Conference. 13-15
September, 2017, Jena, Germany. [Short talk]• Independence and interdependence in human social learning. 31st International Congress of Psychology 2016.
24-29 July, 2016, Yokohama, Japan. [talk]• Asocial learning performance, but not exploration tendency, predicts the decrease of social learning use inhumans. European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association Annual Meeting 2016. 5-8 April, 2016,London. [talk]• Social foraging resolves the paradox of enrichment. British Ecological Society Annual Meeting 2016. 11-14
December, 2016, Liverpool. [poster]• Advice sharing and collective intelligence under exploration-exploitation trade-off in humans. SWARM2015.
28-30 October, 2015, Kyoto University, Japan. [poster]• Less-is-more in a 5-star rating system: an experimental study of human combined decisions in a multi-armed
bandit problem. Proceedings of Collective Intelligence 2014, June 10-12 at MIT. [poster]• 3 more international presentations• 7 more presentations at Japanese domestic meetings
AD-HOC PEER REVIEW EXPERIENCES
Link to Publons• Nature Human Behaviour• Collective Intelligence• Journal of Theoretical Biology• Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications• Palgrave Communications• Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics• Current Zoology• New Ideas in Psychology• PLoS ONE• Royal Society Open Science• Scientific Reports• Human Agent Interaction
REFERENCES

Professor Tatsuya Kameda
Professor of Social Psychology, University of Tokyo
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033
tkameda@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Professor Kevin N. Lala (previously known as Laland)
School of Biology, University of St Andrews
Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews
knl1@st-andrews.ac.uk
Professor Wolfgang Gaissmaier
Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz
University of Konstanz, P.O. Box 43, D-78457 Konstanz
gaissmaier@uni-konstanz.de