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Related Experiment Videos

Game relativity: how context influences strategic decision making.

Ivo Vlaev1, Nick Chater

  • 1Department of Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom. i.vlaev@ucl.ac.uk

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|February 16, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Previous game choices impact current strategic decisions. The "co-operativeness" of past prisoner's dilemma games influences decisions, showing games are not evaluated in isolation.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Game Theory
  • Decision Science

Background:

  • Traditional strategic decision-making models assume isolated game evaluation.
  • Previous research often overlooks the influence of prior experiences on current choices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if prior prisoner's dilemma game cooperativeness affects current game decisions.
  • To explore the psychological mechanisms behind context effects in strategic decision-making.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental design involving sequential prisoner's dilemma games.
  • Analysis of choices and predictions based on the 'co-operativeness' of preceding games.
  • Application of range-frequency theory and adaptation level theory for interpretation.

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Main Results:

  • The 'co-operativeness' of previously played prisoner's dilemma games significantly influences current choices and predictions.
  • Observed effects include reinforcement-based assimilation towards previous choices.
  • Perceptual contrast with preceding games was also noted, dependent on the range and rank of cooperativeness.

Conclusions:

  • Strategic decisions are not made in isolation; past game experiences create context effects.
  • Reinforcement and perceptual contrast mechanisms explain how prior game cooperativeness influences current choices.
  • Range-frequency and adaptation level theories offer viable frameworks for understanding these relative judgment effects.