The emergence and evolution of communication systems in dilemma games with messaging

Abstract

This research focuses on the emergence and evolution of human communication system, following Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis, which claims social intelligence resulted from the successful exploitation of rivals for personal benefits. Based on the framework of experimental semiotics, we design a dilemma game with messaging as a means to explore what kind of communication system is emerged and how it evolves in the laboratory experiment. In this game, graphical symbols are generated through interaction between pairs of players, and a dilemma of sharing and monopoly of rewards occurs. We consider that such a situation produces concealment of the betrayal intention utilizing the ambiguity of the symbols. The emergence and evolution of the novel communication system was examined with a small laboratory experiment. Our data suggested that this game causes ambiguity of communication protocol like polysemy.