Causal attribution of choice behavior in three N-Person Prisoner's Dilemmas

Abstract

The major purpose of the present study was to compare the causal attributions made by Cooperators and Defectors for a cooperative and a noncooperative target in an N-Person Prisoner's Dilemma. Factor analyses of attributions yielded two factors associated with the target's intrapersonal processes. One intrapersonal factor was a combination of weakness and lack of intelligence, labeled Ignorance, and the second was related to good versus bad, labeled Concern for Others. Among Cooperators, noncooperation was attributed more than cooperation to Ignorance. Defectors did just the opposite. This supports the idea that one's own predisposition prescribes criteria for rational choice in Prisoner's Dilemma. Both Cooperators and Defectors attributed cooperation more than noncooperation to Concern for Others. However, Cooperators made the largest discriminations on this factor. The above findings were observed in three N-Person Prisoner's Dilemmas varying in the extent to which Fear and Greed could be the cause of noncooperation. In addition to Ignorance and Concern for Others, factor analyses revealed two factors associated with the situational pressures of Fear and Greed in the payoff matrix itself. The different dilemmas appeared to affect both Cooperators' and Defectors' attributions to Fear and Greed in a manner consistent with their underlying game theoretical differences.