Communication in the Battle of the Sexes Game: Some Experimental Results

Abstract

We report experimental results on the role of preplay communication in a one-shot, symmetric battle of the sexes game. We conducted games in which there was no communication, and we studied the effects of three different communication structures: one-way communication with one round of messages and two-way communication with one round as well as three rounds of messages. With these messages, each player could indicate which action he planned to take. Communication significantly increased the frequency of equilibrium play. One-way communication was most effective in resolving the coordination problem. While there was more conflict with two-way communication, one round of communication helped to overcome some of the coordination problems, and three rounds of communication performed even better.