A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GAME BEHAVIOR AND CHOICE MOTIVE IN THE SEQUENT CHOICE VS. THE SIMULTANEOUS CHOICE IN PRISONER'S DILEMMA GAME

Abstract

In this research, we made a comparative study of game behavior in the sequent (non-simultaneous) choice vs. the simultaneous choice in the Prisoner's Dilemma Game. In the sequent choice condition, Player I (the first player) made his choice first and announced it to Player II (the second player), before Player II made his choice, which he subsequently announced to Player I.
A comparative study of the motives governing the choices made in this “mixed motive game” within both conditions was made, also.
80 pupils of junior high school in Japan conducted 20 trials in the Prisoner's Dilemma Game, reporting all the motives which governed their choice.
Results showed that the so-called cooperative choice (“C's”) in the sequent choice condition were chosen significantly more frequent than those in the simultaneous condition. Moreover, the “C's” which were chosen by both Player I and Player II in the sequent condition tended to significantly increase throughout the trials, but on the other hand, the “C's” in the simultaneous choice condition did not increase, but rather decreased somewhat.
The “C's” in the simultaneous choice condition resulted from either cooperaitve or altruistic motives. The so-called defective choices (“D's”) were the result of either competitive or defensive motives. In the sequent choice condition, the relationship between choice and its motive demonstrated more distinctive results. When Player I choiced “C”, and in response to that choice Player II also choiced “C”, Player II's motive was most frequently cooperative. Under the same circumstances the “D's” of Player II were primarily motivated by “competitive (selfish). ” However, when Player I choiced “D”, and in response to that choice Player II choiced “C”, Player II's motives was mainly altruistic. In these sequent choices, a distinctive relationship between choice and its motive was observed.