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Does nonbinding commitment promote children's cooperation in a social dilemma?
Laurent Prétôt1, Katherine McAuliffe1
1Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|August 30, 2020
Summary
Nonbinding commitments did not increase cooperation in children aged 6-9. However, communication encouraged children to maintain their chosen strategy, possibly for consistency, in social dilemma games.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Game Theory
Background:
- Communication aids cooperation in adults facing social dilemmas.
- Nonbinding commitments can enhance cooperation by allowing intention signaling.
- Limited research exists on nonbinding commitments' role in children's cooperation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if nonbinding commitments influence cooperation in children.
- To examine children's strategy adherence after making commitments.
Main Methods:
- Tested 6- to 9-year-old children in an iterated prisoner's dilemma game.
- Compared a communication condition (allowing intention declaration) with a silent condition.
- Analyzed cooperation rates and strategy consistency based on prior decisions.
Main Results:
- Children in the communication condition did not cooperate more than those in the silent condition.
- Communication increased strategy consistency; children adhered to previous cooperation or defection.
- Children rarely deviated from their declared intentions.
Conclusions:
- Nonbinding commitments do not universally boost children's cooperation.
- Commitments may promote strategy adherence and consistency in children's social dilemma behavior.
- Findings contribute to understanding children's decision-making in social dilemmas.
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