Work

Intelligence, Personality, and Gains from Cooperation in Repeated Interactions

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: We study how intelligence and personality affect the outcomes of groups, focusing on repeated interactions that provide the opportunity for profitable cooperation. Our experimental method creates two groups of subjects who have different levels of certain traits, such as higher or lower levels of Intelligence, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness, but who are very similar otherwise. Intelligence has a large and positive long-run effect on cooperative behavior. The effect is strong when at the equilibrium of the repeated game there is a trade-off between short-run gains and long-run losses. Conscientiousness and Agreeableness have a natural, significant but transitory effect on cooperation rates.

Source: Journal of Political Economy

DOI: 10.1086/701355

Authors: Eugenio Proto, Aldo Rustichini, Andis Sofianos

Institutions: University of Bristol, University of Minnesota, Heidelberg University

Language: English

Topic: Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council

Awards: Rules based policies, and Intelligence in Strategic Behavior, G3180730516, G5138256488, University of Warwick ESRC Doctoral Training Centre DTG 2011, G8704703036