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Competition over personal resources favors contribution to shared resources in human groups
Jessica L Barker1, Pat Barclay, H Kern Reeve
1Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America. jlbarker@arizona.edu
Plos One
|March 23, 2013
Summary
Competition over personal resources incentivizes greater cooperation towards shared group resources. This "tug-of-war" dynamic can increase both contributions and payoffs, helping avoid the tragedy of the commons.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Evolutionary Game Theory
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Individuals in social groups balance personal gain (selfish effort) against group benefit (cooperative effort).
- Shared resources can be public goods or large, low-cost items, while personal resources are often monopolizable.
- Competition for personal resources and defense can influence investment in group endeavors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of competition over personal resources on cooperation with group resources.
- To test game theoretic predictions regarding cooperation and competition dynamics.
- To understand mechanisms that promote cooperation and avoid resource depletion.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a game theoretic "tug-of-war" model to simulate resource competition and cooperation.
- Conducted two laboratory economic games with human participants.
- Compared investment decisions in scenarios with and without options for resource competition and group investment.
Main Results:
- When competition over personal resources was possible, participants contributed more to group resources.
- Increased contributions to group resources led to higher individual payoffs.
- The presence of competition enhanced cooperative investment in shared goods.
Conclusions:
- Competition over personal resources can paradoxically foster greater cooperation in public goods.
- This dynamic offers an explanation for cooperative contributions and avoidance of the tragedy of the commons.
- Highlights unifying principles in the evolution of cooperation and competition across societies.
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