Contemporary Psychological Research on Social Dilemmas

A social dilemma is a situation in which the interests of the collective and its individual members clash. In these situations individuals typically are tempted to take actions that favor (sometimes even maximize) their short-term egocentric interests. However if all group members adopt such behaviors, the group suffers since all its members are worse off than they could be by endorsing alternative pro-social actions that favor (sometimes even maximize) the collective interest. This book provides an overview and summary of the state of social psychological research on social dilemmas. It is organized around four core issues: individual differences which determine people’s preferences for outcomes that promote either their own or their group’s well-being; the study of dynamic processes based on simulations of artificial societies; social dilemmas that emerge in inter-group conflicts; and the effect of various types and sources of uncertainty on behavior in social dilemma situations.

• A close look at a social dilemma as a situation in which the interests of the collective and its individual members clash • Provides an overview and summary of the state of social psychological research on social dilemmas • The chapters illustrate the wide variety of methodological and theoretical approaches used in the field

Preface; Part I. Individual Differences in Social Dilemmas: 1. From generosity to aggression: five interpersonal orientations relevant to social dilemmas Paul A. M. Van Lange; 2. Effects of risk preferences in social dilemmas: a game theoretical analysis and evidence from two experiments Marcel Van Assen and Chris Snijders; 3. Risk preference as a predictor of cooperation in a social dilemma Craig D. Parks; 4. Measurements and effects of social value orientation in social dilemmas: a review Winton Tung Au and Jessica Y. Y. Kwong; 5. Are people in a collective society truly cooperative? The interaction of social orientation and the fate of matrix-society: a simulation study Toshiaki Doi; Part II. Dynamical Aspects of Social Dilemmas: 6. The dynamics of trust and trustworthiness in large groups: a computer simulation Peter de Heus and David M. Messick; 7. Stylized solutions for environmental dilemmas in a cellular world Andreas Flache; 8. Freedom of movement: a strategic analysis of social dilemmas with the option to move Marcello Gallucci, Paul A. M. Van Lange and Jaap W. Ouwerkerk; 9. The emergence of tit for tat strategies Ilan Fischer and Ramzi Suleiman; Part III. Social Dilemmas in Inter-group Conflicts: 10. Cooperation in intergroup social dilemmas Gary Bornstein; 11. Do democracies breed chickens? Gary Bornstein, Arthur Schram and Joep Sonnemans; 12. Ingroup cooperation and the social exchange heuristic Toko Kiyonari and Toshio Yamagishi; 13. Leadership in intergroup social dilemmas: accountability, partnership and the public good Sherry K. Schneider, Margaret Foddy and Lenka Bilik; Part IV. Uncertainty and Cooperation in Social Dilemmas: 14. What we know (and do not know) about the effects of uncertainty on behavior in social dilemmas Eric Van Dijk, Arjaan Wit, Henk Wilke and David V. Budescu; 15. Explaining apparent altruism in terms of egoistic incentives: not so fast, please Robyn M. Dawes; 16. Dependence and cooperation in fuzzy dilemmas: the effects of environmental and endowment uncertainty Thomas R. Boone and Michael W. Macy; 17. Asymmetrical access to information in social dilemmas with resource uncertainty Mathias Gustafsson, Daniel Eek and Tomy Gärling; 18. The interplay between environmental and social uncertainty in social dilemmas Arjaan Wit, Eric Van Dijk, Henk Wilke and Arieneke Groenenboom.