Random Strategies and Sex Differences in the Prisoner's Dilemma Game

• Published in: The Journal of conflict resolution Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 643 - 650
• Main Authors: Smith, Nancy S., Vernon, Charles R., Tarte, Robert D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Sage Publications 01.12.1975; SAGE Publications; University of Michigan, Department of Journalism
• Subjects: Analysis of variance; Conflict resolution; Cooperation; Experimentation; Game theory; Men; Pretreatment; Prisoner's dilemma; Prisoners dilemma; Sex linked differences; Social interaction
• ISSN: 0022-0027; 1552-8766
• DOI: 10.1177/002200277501900405

Forty-eight male and 48 female subjects were randomly assigned to same-sex or mixed-sex simulated other dyads and played a reiterated Prisoner's Dilemma game consisting of 10 trials at either 80% cooperative or 20% cooperative, randomly programmed, followed by 50 trials of within trial tit-for-tat. Significant differences were found for trial blocks (p <.001), trial blocks by sex of partner (p <.01), trial blocks by pretreatment (p <.05), and trial blocks by sex of subject by pretreatment condition (p <.001). When all experimental groups were combined, there was an increase shown in cooperative behavior from the initial pretreatment to the final block of trials. Male partners elicited a higher level of cooperation than female partners when the initial interaction was cooperative. The 80% cooperative groups cooperated at a higher level than the 20% cooperative groups. And finally, the female groups cooperated at a higher level than the male groups in both pretreatment conditions.