Intergroup prisoner's dilemma with intragroup power dynamics and individual power drive

Abstract

This paper introduces a game paradigm to be used in behavioral experiments studying learning and evolution of cooperation. The goals for such a paradigm are both practical and theoretical. The design of the game emphasizes features that are advantageous for experimental purposes (e.g., binary choice, matrix format, and tractability) and also features that increase the ecological validity of the game (e.g., multiple players, social structure, asymmetry, conflicting motives, and stochastic behavior). A simulation of the game based on human data from a previous study is used to predict the impact of different levels of power drive on payoff and power, to be corroborated in future studies. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.