GROUP BEHAVIORS IN THE SOCIAL DILEMMA SITUATION: USE OF SIMSOC AS A RESEARCH METHOD OF INTERGROUP RELATIONS

The purpose of this study is to use the game-simulation of SIMSOC as a research method of intergroup relations in the social dilemma situation. Six SIMSOC games were conducted. In each game, about 40 undergraduate students were distributed into four regions. Two rich regions could control main resources but two poor had few resources. In 3 games of valuable token condition, players could exchange their token money for some valuable goods at the end of the game, but could't in the other 3 games of valueless token condition. The main results were as follows. Dynamic processes of interregional relations in SIMSOC consisted of four successive phases. Main issues of each of these phases were the organization of regions, the interregional conflicts and the resolution of subsistence scarcity, the provision of public goods, and the accumulation of regional wealth or the escalation of interregional conflict, respectively. In the games of valuable token condition, the personal goal of wealth acquisition was perceived as relatively important. Selfrewardoriented regional behaviors were facilitated and competitions of the accumulation of regional wealth became brisk. In the games of valuless token condition, power acquisition was perceived as relatively important, competitive and aggressive regional behaviors were facilitated, and the escalated interregional conflicts resulted in collapse of thesociety. In the cooperative regional behaviors contributing to public goods, no difference was found between valuable and valuless conditions. Rich and poor regions contributed to public goods equitably. The results of this study suggested that contributions to public goods were used as the means to take leadership in the society.