The Application Of The Prisoner’S Dilemma In An Online Scenario To Test One’S Ability To Trust Others /

Gabriel Corn

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

10th Grade

Presentation Topic

Psychology and Sociology

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Oral Presentation Award

2nd Place

Abstract

With the rise of the internet more people are beginning to rely on it. People may be more likely now to trust someone on the internet even if they had previous bad experiences. It was hypothesized that someone is more likely to change their answers based on what their previous partner chose. This research was to find if a person will continue to choose the same answer even if they are betrayed in another experience. A group of high school student were assembled and told after the project was completed they would get a reward based on how many points they earned and were told the rules to the prisoner’s dilemma. They were told to fill out forms saying whether they would sell out their partner or keep quiet, and after this they were told what their partner answered. This was repeated with randomized partners nine more times, but the survey also asked if their last partner’s decision affected them. A T test was completed to test how many changed their answer and what they were more likely to choose. Results indicate a significant partner changed their answer (M=-1.226, SD =2.30) than they changed their answer t(30)=-1.702, P=0.0046. Showing that the participants did not change their answers as often as their partners did.

Location

Owens 109

Start Date

4-16-2016 9:15 AM

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 9:15 AM

The Application Of The Prisoner’S Dilemma In An Online Scenario To Test One’S Ability To Trust Others /

Owens 109

With the rise of the internet more people are beginning to rely on it. People may be more likely now to trust someone on the internet even if they had previous bad experiences. It was hypothesized that someone is more likely to change their answers based on what their previous partner chose. This research was to find if a person will continue to choose the same answer even if they are betrayed in another experience. A group of high school student were assembled and told after the project was completed they would get a reward based on how many points they earned and were told the rules to the prisoner’s dilemma. They were told to fill out forms saying whether they would sell out their partner or keep quiet, and after this they were told what their partner answered. This was repeated with randomized partners nine more times, but the survey also asked if their last partner’s decision affected them. A T test was completed to test how many changed their answer and what they were more likely to choose. Results indicate a significant partner changed their answer (M=-1.226, SD =2.30) than they changed their answer t(30)=-1.702, P=0.0046. Showing that the participants did not change their answers as often as their partners did.