A Study of Good and Evil Using 1 DOF Sticks

Abstract

Assuming that a mind is a source of variety in behavior is important in a non-zero-sum situation in which cooperators and competitors (free riders) are mixed. In such a context, one should rapidly differentiate between competitors and cooperators and avoid useless battles against competitors. Once an actor's mind (intentions) and current situation have been identified, the strategy of assuming a mind enables one to infer the actor's future behavior even if the situation is different. In the present study, we conducted an experiment to assess whether humans predict the future behavior of an agent (a 1 degree of freedom (DOF) stick) in a different situation by attributing malice or benevolence. We developed a stick-mediated interactive hole that provides minimum modal interaction in a non-zero-sum game situation. Participants were asked to insert as many sticks as they could into the hole within two minutes. The motor behind the hole produced cooperative or obstructive actions. The results show that participants who performed the task with a cooperative hole attributed benevolence and predicted future cooperative behavior in a different task and that participants who performed the task with an obstructive hole attributed malice but did not predict future obstructive behavior.