Summary: Humans tend to cooperate even after being betrayed, defying traditional game theory expectations. Researchers conducted online experiments using alternating and voluntary participation games, revealing that people are more tolerant and cooperative than previously thought.
The findings suggest that human psychology and social context play a bigger role in cooperative behavior than current models account for. These insights may lead to revised game theory models that better reflect the complexity of human interactions.
Key Facts:
- People cooperate even after betrayal, defying traditional game theory.
- The study focused on alternating and voluntary participation games.
- Results suggest human psychology and social context are key in cooperation.
Source: Rissho University
A study conducted by a research team led by Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University and Associate Professor Akira Goto of Meiji University has revealed unexpected findings about human cooperation.
The study uses classical game theory to explore the possibility of individuals cooperating in various competitive situations using two aspects that have not been studied much in behavioral experiments: alternating games and voluntary participation games.
The results were published in the online academic journal Scientific Reports on September 19, 2024.
The study uses online experiments to examine human behavior in various game structures, such as simultaneous and alternating decision-making, and the presence or absence of the option to voluntarily participate.
These experiments revealed that, contrary to theoretical expectations, people tend to cooperate even after being betrayed. This is behavior that contradicts many traditional game theory models.
Professor Yamamoto, who led the study, said, “This discovery suggests that humans are more tolerant and cooperative than previously thought, and the factors that lead to this behavior need to be further explored.”
Co-author Associate Professor Goto also claims, “Our results also reveal that people tend to be bound by their previous actions, emphasizing the importance of considering human psychology and social context when studying cooperation.”
The results of this study suggest that current game-theoretic models need to be revised to build models that better reflect the complexity of human behavior.
About this psychology and game theory research news
Author: AKIO YAMADA
Source: Rissho University
Contact: AKIO YAMADA – Rissho University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Behavioural strategies in simultaneous and alternating prisoner’s dilemma games with/without voluntary participation” by Hitoshi Yamamoto et al. Scientific Reports
Abstract
Behavioural strategies in simultaneous and alternating prisoner’s dilemma games with/without voluntary participation
The Prisoner’s Dilemma is one of the most classic formats for exploring the principle of direct reciprocity.
Although numerous theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted, little attention has been paid to the divergence between theoretical predictions and actual human behaviour.
In addition, there are two additional essential challenges of experimental research.
First, most experimental approaches have focused on games in which two players decide their actions simultaneously, but little is known about alternating games.
Another is that there are few experiments on voluntary participation.
Here, we conducted experiments on simultaneous games, alternating games, and games with and without voluntary participation for a total of four game patterns and examined the deviation from theoretical predictions for each.
The results showed that, contrary to theoretical predictions, humans chose cooperation even after being exploited.
We also observed that, with or without voluntary participation, people tended to take the same action they had taken in the previous round.
Our results indicate that to understand the mechanisms of human behaviour, we need to integrate findings from behavioural science, psychology, and game theory.
