Retrospection in social dilemmas: how thinking about the past affects future cooperation.
This article reports 2 studies investigating the effects of retrospective thought on future cooperation in social dilemmas. Some general theories of cooperation presume, but have not tested, whether retrospection has impact: People may think about the choices they could have made instead, realize that cooperation would have produced larger outcomes, and change their strategy as a result. Across both studies, the authors show that rate of future cooperation is directly related to the number of best-case scenarios and inversely related to the number of worst-case scenarios generated. The 2nd study also shows that the number and type of retrospective thoughts generated can be predicted from the person's social value orientation.
Parks
Craig D
CD
Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman 99164, USA. parkscd@mail.wsu.edu
Sanna
Lawrence J
LJ
Posey
Donelle C
DC
D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012919:Social Behavior; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*