Psychology Dissertation Seminar: Min Gong

DISSERTATION SEMINAR

Min Gong

Friday, July 10, 1:30 pm

B35, Solomon Labs

Title: GROUP COOPERATION UNDER UNCERTAINTY

Abstract:

Previous research has shown an ‘interindividual-inter-group
discontinuity effect’: inter-group interactions generally lead to less
cooperative outcomes than interindividual interactions. In this
dissertation, I replicate the discontinuity effect in the deterministic
prisoner’s dilemma, but find that groups are more cooperative than
individuals in a stochastic version of the game.

Three major factors that underlie the usual discontinuity effect, were
reduced in the stochastic environment: greed, fear, and persuasion
power. Two group mechanisms are proposed to explain the reversed
discontinuity effect: the motivation to avoid guilt and blame when
making decisions that affect others' welfare, and the social pressure to
conform to certain norms when one is in a group setting. Follow-up
studies reject the social pressure mechanism, but confirm that guilt
aversion and blame avoidance drive groups to be more risk concerned than
individuals and more likely to invest to reduce risks when uncertainty
is present. There is also evidence that uncertainty reduces inter-group
distrust that usually exists in group interactions, and may even
increases inter-group trust to be higher than inter-individual trust.