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Rational Constraints and the Evolution of Fairness in the Ultimatum Game
1Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America.
Plos One
|July 31, 2015
Summary
This study simulated the Ultimatum Game to explore the evolution of fairness norms. Agents with an ordinal constraint on acceptance probabilities evolved human-like fairness behaviors, unlike those without the constraint.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Evolutionary Game Theory
- Computational Social Science
Background:
- The Ultimatum Game reveals a discrepancy between self-interested economic models and human fairness concerns.
- Understanding the evolution of social norms like fairness is crucial, especially when punishing unfairness incurs costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To simulate the Ultimatum Game and investigate the evolutionary emergence of fairness-related behaviors.
- To compare agent behavior under different acceptance/rejection probability systems.
Main Methods:
- Agent-based modeling of multiple Ultimatum Game generations.
- Implementation of two acceptance/rejection systems: independent probabilities and an ordinal constraint.
- Tracking the evolution of agents' proposing and accepting preferences.
Main Results:
- Populations without the ordinal constraint evolved to act as self-interested economic agents.
- Populations with the ordinal constraint evolved behavior mirroring human players' fairness considerations.
Conclusions:
- An ordinal constraint on acceptance probabilities is a key factor in the evolution of fairness norms.
- Simulations can replicate the emergence of social norms observed in human behavior.
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