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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Game theory and reciprocity in some extensive form experimental games.

We examine decision making in two-person extensive form game trees using nine treatments that vary matching protocol, payoffs, and payoff information. Our objective is to establish replicable principles of cooperative versus noncooperative behavior that involve the use of signaling, reciprocity, and backward induction strategies, depending on the availability of dominated direct punishing strategies and the probability of repeated interaction with the same partner. Contrary to the predictions of game theory, we find substantial support for cooperation under complete information even in various single-play treatments.

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed2006

Game theory and human evolution: a critique of some recent interpretations of experimental games.

Economists and psychologists have been testing Nash equilibrium predictions of game theory models of human behavior. In many instances, humans do not conform to the predictions. These results are of great interest to biologists because they also raise questions about well-known ESS models of cooperation. Cooperation in certain one-shot, anonymous interactions, and a willingness to punish others at a net cost to oneself are some of the most intriguing deviations from standard theory. One proposed explanation for these results that is receiving increasing attention invokes the cultural group selection of 'other regarding' social norms. We critically review this explanation. We conclude that experimental results reveal limits in two implicit models of cognitive structure commonly employed by economists and evolutionary biologists.

Altruism↗
PubMed2005

Experiments investigating cooperative types in humans: a complement to evolutionary theory and simulations.

Unlike other species, humans cooperate in large, distantly related groups, a fact that has long presented a puzzle to biologists. The pathway by which adaptations for large-scale cooperation among nonkin evolved in humans remains a subject of vigorous debate. Results from theoretical analyses and agent-based simulations suggest that evolutionary dynamics need not yield homogeneous populations, but can instead generate a polymorphic population that consists of individuals who vary in their degree of cooperativeness. These results resonate with the recent increasing emphasis on the importance of individual differences in understanding and modeling behavior and dynamics in experimental games and decision problems. Here, we report the results of laboratory experiments that complement both theory and simulation results. We find that our subjects fall into three types, an individual's type is stable, and a group's cooperative outcomes can be remarkably well predicted if one knows its type composition. Reciprocal types, who contribute to the public good as a positive function of their beliefs about others' contributions, constitute the majority (63%) of players; cooperators and free-riders are also present in our subject population. Despite substantial behavioral differences, earnings among types are statistically identical. Our results support the view that our human subject population is in a stable, polymorphic equilibrium of types.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Experimental realization of quantum games on a quantum computer.

We generalize the quantum prisoner's dilemma to the case where the players share a nonmaximally entangled states. We show that the game exhibits an intriguing structure as a function of the amount of entanglement with two thresholds which separate a classical region, an intermediate region, and a fully quantum region. Furthermore this quantum game is experimentally realized on our nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computer.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Educational intervention by computer in childhood asthma: a randomized clinical trial testing the use of a new teaching intervention in childhood asthma.

To affect asthma-related knowledge, behavior, and morbidity, researchers tested a new educational intervention for children with asthma: an asthma-specific computer game called Asthma Command, which was specifically designed for this study. Sixty-five children with moderately severe asthma were randomly assigned to one of two groups, and 54 completed the study. Both groups were seen approximately six times during the 1 year of the study. Control subjects (n = 29) played routine computer games. Experimental subjects (n = 25) played Asthma Command. Compared with children in the control group, experimental subjects showed improvement in knowledge about asthma (P less than .001), behavior related to the management of asthma (P less than .008), and a trend toward the reduction of acute visits due to asthma (P less than .13). Children in the experimental group also scored higher on the assessment of behaviors related to the management of asthma that were specifically addressed by the intervention provided by Asthma Command (P less than .01). Differences between the control and experimental groups showed a greater improvement in the experimental group in 21 (84%) of the 25 outcome variables in the study (P = .004, Sign test). The study indicates that an asthma-specific computer game can significantly affect knowledge and behavior and may potentially affect morbidity in childhood asthma.

Asthma↗
PubMed2004

Perception of danger signals: the role of control.

How does the perceptual system process stimuli that signal aversive outcomes or dangers? Considering the functional links between perception, attention, and action regulation, we posit that when people can avoid the aversive consequences, sensitivity of the perceptual system to danger signals should be enhanced, whereas it should be reduced when there is no such option. To test this prediction, we used a search task in which tachistoscopically presented conjunctions of features had to be detected. Parameters of sensitivity and response bias were analyzed drawing on procedures from signal detection theory. Although the experimental procedure rewarded correct responses, the predicted asymmetry emerged. For stimuli that were linked to a negative consequence (loss of points in the experimental game), perceptual sensitivity was enhanced when participants had the opportunity to neutralize the loss in a second task; an opposite pattern emerged when they had no such opportunity.

Attention↗
PubMed1998

Selective play: choosing partners in an uncertain world.

The theoretical implications of introducing the "selective play " paradigm to experimental gaming research are discussed. In the traditional "forced play" environment, players are locked in a particular relationship and do not have options of leaving the current relationship and joining another. In the selective play environment players are given the options of leaving the current relationship and forming a new relationship. A previous computer tournament of prisoner's dilemma network (Hayashi, 1993) showed that out-for-tat (OFT) strategy performed very well in the selective play environment. OFT keeps cooperating with a partner until the partner defects; it deserts the partner and turns to someone else as soon as the partner defects. Results of a new computer tournament that introduced opportunity costs, however, point to the limits of the OFT'S strength. OFT prematurely forms a commitment relationship with a cooperative partner and fails to utilize better opportunities. The best performer in the second tournament was the only one who was "trustful" and had a positive bias in calculating the expected payoff of interactions with a "stranger."

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

[The differences between individualists and cooperators: interpersonal cognition of resource allocation].

The purpose of this article is to study interpersonal cognition of resource allocation and individual differences in the cognition. Sixty subjects participated in an experimental game, and 18 individualists and 16 cooperators were selected according to their tendency in resource allocation, which is called social values. Then, they rated resource allocating behavior. Major findings were as follows: (1) Both groups rated "allocating more resource to the partner" as more socially desirable and friendly. (2) Individualists rated "allocating more resource to self," which was consistent with their social values, as more socially desirable. They also rated "equal allocation with own resource adjusted" as more socially desirable but less dynamic. (3) Cooperators rated "equal allocation with own resource adjusted," which was consistent with their social values, as more socially desirable and friendly. (4) Both groups rated "more resource to self" and "less resource to the partner" as dynamic (active and assertive). The relation between interpersonal cognition and social values is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[A socio-relational basis of "irrational" cooperation: an experimental study with the selective-play paradigm].

Experimental gaming researchers have recently realized that a larger context is important in which dyadic prisoner's dilemma (PD) relations are embedded. The main purpose of this study was to examine whether people facing a "selective-play" situation spontaneously adopt the out-for-tat strategy (OFT), which previous studies found the most effective in such a situation. OFT proscribes to (1) always cooperate, (2) keep playing with the current player as long as he/she cooperates, and (3) desert the partner as soon as he/she stops cooperating. Results of an experiment with 90 students, of groups of six or eight, showed that subjects who faced a high level of social uncertainty in fact spontaneously adopted the strategy, interacting with the same partner as long as he/she cooperated, and exiting from the relation when the partner defected. Subjects who faced a low level of social uncertainty kept only the third part of the strategy, leaving the relation with a defector, but not necessarily keeping interaction with a cooperative partner.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Digit ratio (2D:4D) moderates the impact of sexual cues on men's decisions in ultimatum games.

Three experimental studies demonstrate that 'sex-related cues' impact human decision-making in ultimatum games. In the ultimatum game, two individuals divide a sum of money. The proposer offers a portion of the money to the other player, the responder. If the responder accepts the offer, the money is distributed in agreement with the proposer's offer. If the responder rejects the offer, neither player receives anything. Our studies show that exposure to pictures of sexy women or lingerie increases the likelihood of accepting unfair offers. Digit ratios of responders are reliably associated with their behaviour: males with lower digit ratios are more likely to reject an unfair split in neutral contexts, but more likely to accept unfair offers in sex-related contexts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

A computerized simulation for investigating gambling behavior during roulette play.

The present paper describes a computerized roulette program for the conducting of psychological research on gambling behavior. The program was designed to simulate an actual roulette game found in casinos and gambling riverboats throughout North America. The roulette program collects detailed trial-by-trial data on player/participant behavior that can easily be transferred into data analysis and graphics programs. This multimedia simulation was designed in the Visual Basic programming language, and it is capable of running on any IBM-compatible personal computer running the Windows 2000 or higher operating system.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2001

Manipulations of the features of standard video lottery terminal (VLT) games: effects in pathological and non-pathological gamblers.

The present study was conducted to identify game parameters that would reduce the risk of abuse of video lottery terminals (VLTs) by pathological gamblers, while exerting minimal effects on the behavior of non-pathological gamblers. Three manipulations of standard VLT game features were explored. Participants were exposed to: a counter which displayed a running total of money spent; a VLT spinning reels game where participants could no longer "stop" the reels by touching the screen; and sensory feature manipulations. In control conditions, participants were exposed to standard settings for either a spinning reels or a video poker game. Dependent variables were self-ratings of reactions to each set of parameters. A set of 2(3) x 2 x 2 (game manipulation [experimental condition(s) vs. control condition] x game [spinning reels vs. video poker] x gambler status [pathological vs. non-pathological]) repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted on all dependent variables. The findings suggest that the sensory manipulations (i.e., fast speed/sound or slow speed/no sound manipulations) produced the most robust reaction differences. Before advocating harm reduction policies such as lowering sensory features of VLT games to reduce potential harm to pathological gamblers, it is important to replicate findings in a more naturalistic setting, such as a real bar.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Validation of social self-esteem and an experimental index of delinquent behavior.

30 male adolescents were administered a checklist of their delinquent behavior and the measure of social self-esteem designed by Ziller, Hagey, Smith, and Long (1969). A Pearson correlation of --.26 was found between self-esteem and scores on the delinquent behavior checklist. At a later session 18 of the subjects were assigned a puzzle-solving task which served as a measure of cheating. A significant relation between cheating scores and self-reported delinquent behavior indicated that the puzzle-solving task may be useful for measuring level of delinquency in an experimental setting.

Adolescent↗