Abstract
Although a variety of situational variables has been found to be related to cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD) game, the results for subject variables have been disappointing. Cognitive factors, a virtually neglected class of variables in PD literature, are examined in relation to cooperative play. Following completion of four paper and pencil tests of cognitive abilities, 48 pairs of undergraduate students played a 30-trial PD game. Those subjects above the median on abstract information-processing ability, quantitative ability, and verbal ability were more likely to achieve a cooperative resolution of the PD than those below the median on these variables. The results suggest that cognitive variables rather than personality variables are of more importance in determining game play. The implications of this finding on PD research are discussed.
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Pincus, J., Bixenstine, V.E. Cognitive Factors and Cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game. Psychol Rec 29, 463–471 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394636
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394636