Competitiveness and conflict behavior in simulation of a social dilemma.
This experiment examined the competitive behavior in a seven-choice Prisoner's Dilemma game of 108 adult students (68 women, 40 men) classified as high, average, or low in competitiveness based on their scores on the Competitiveness Index. Participants were then presented one of three preprogrammed response conditions representing (1) Competitive, (2) De-escalating, or (3) Noncompetitive conflict behavior from a simulated opponent. Participants high in competitiveness engaged in more competitive behavior and reported higher satisfaction with the task than those low in competitiveness. As expected, the Competitive conditions elicited more competitive behavior than Noncompetitive conditions. The results suggest competitive individuals may be particularly susceptible to social cues that trigger competitive behavior.
Houston
J M
JM
Department of Psychology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789, USA. jhouston@rollins.edu
Kinnie
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J
Lupo
B
B
Terry
C
C
Ho
S S
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D000328:Adult; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D005716:Game Theory; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology