EFFECTS OF FRIENDSHIP AND DISLIKING ON COOPERATION IN A MIXED- MOTIVE GAME

In: The journal of conflict resolution: journal of the Peace Science Society (International), Volume 10, Issue 2, p. 221-226

Abstract

This experiment systematically varied the degree of friendship of S's in a Prisoner's Dilemma game. A pre-exp'al sociometric questionaire provided the basis for selecting exp'al groups of M Coll S's who were (a) best friends, (b) acquaintances, (c) nonacquaintances, & (d) disliked individuals. 62 S's were assigned by pairs into 1 of the 4 conditions. Results differed sharply for the 2 Coll's involved. In one the overall level of cooperation was quite high, & the predicted signif positive relationship between degree of friendship & amount of cooperation emerged, with best friends & acquaintances being more cooperative than the other 2 groups. In the other Coll cooperation was lower, & the best friends were markedly least cooperative. The results show that the level of cooperation in a mixed-motive game is a complex phenomenon & sensitive to a number of situational influences. AA.