Selection of opponents in the prisoner׳s dilemma in dynamic networks: an experimental approach

Abstract

To investigate how a human subject selects her neighbors (opponents) to play the Prisoner׳s Dilemma within a social network, we conducted a human-subject experiment. The results are as follows: (1) A subject is more likely to dismiss the links to her neighbors most frequently when the subject chooses C and when the neighbor chooses D; (2) a subject who has more neighbors is less likely to dismiss links than a subject who has fewer neighbors; and (3) a subject is more likely to create links to (=select) opponents who have more neighbors than to opponents who have fewer neighbors.

Keywords: Dynamic network; Evolution of cooperation; Laboratory experiment; Network reciprocity; Prisoner׳s dilemma game.