Beliefs about others' intentions determine whether cooperation is the faster choice

Scientific Reports
Juana Castro SantaSalvador Soto-Faraco

Abstract

Is collaboration the fast choice for humans? Past studies proposed that cooperation is a behavioural default, based on Response Times (RT) findings. Here we contend that the individual's reckoning of the immediate social environment shapes her predisposition to cooperate and, hence, response latencies. In a social dilemma game, we manipulate the beliefs about the partner's intentions to cooperate and show that they act as a switch that determines cooperation and defection RTs; when the partner's intention to cooperate is perceived as high, cooperation choices are speeded up, while defection is slowed down. Importantly, this social context effect holds across varying expected payoffs, indicating that it modulates behaviour regardless of choices' similarity in monetary terms. Moreover, this pattern is moderated by individual variability in social preferences: Among conditional cooperators, high cooperation beliefs speed up cooperation responses and slow down defection. Among free-riders, defection is always faster and more likely than cooperation, while high cooperation beliefs slow down all decisions. These results shed new light on the conflict of choices account of response latencies, as well as on the intuitive cooperation hy...Continue Reading

References

Nov 1, 2000·Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes·S G RochJ L Dent
Nov 3, 2005·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Michael TomaselloHenrike Moll
Mar 4, 2006·Science·Felix Warneken, Michael Tomasello
Dec 13, 2006·Science·Martin A Nowak
Feb 10, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Benedetto De MartinoRalph Adolphs
Apr 27, 2011·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Gert CornelissenLuk Warlop
May 5, 2011·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Robert Axelrod
Feb 9, 2012·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Bertram F Malle, Jess Holbrook
Sep 22, 2012·Nature·Simon Gächter
Sep 22, 2012·Nature·David G RandMartin A Nowak
Jun 7, 2013·Nature·Gustav TinghögMagnus Johannesson
Jul 17, 2013·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·David G Rand, Martin A Nowak
Jul 31, 2013·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Eliran HalaliNachshon Meiran
Apr 23, 2014·Nature Communications·David G RandJoshua D Greene
May 8, 2014·PloS One·Peter P J L Verkoeijen, Samantha Bouwmeester
Sep 19, 2014·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·David G Rand, Gordon T Kraft-Todd
Jan 28, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Moshe HoffmanMartin A Nowak
Sep 29, 2015·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Anthony M EvansDavid G Rand
Jan 21, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Maxwell N Burton-ChellewStuart A West
May 4, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Toshio YamagishiYoshie Matsumoto
Jul 21, 2016·Scientific Reports·Akihiro NishiDavid G Rand
Jun 1, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Toshio YamagishiMasamichi Sakagami

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Aug 14, 2019·Nature Human Behaviour·Jon M JachimowiczAdam D Galinsky
Jan 6, 2021·Nature Human Behaviour·Ozan IslerA John Maule
Aug 16, 2021·Current Opinion in Psychology·Charlotte S L RossettiOliver P Hauser

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

Matlab
Psychotoolbox

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved