Matrix Values and the Behavior of Children in the Prisoner's Dilemma Game

The Prisoner's Dilemma Game (PDG) was modified for use with preadolescent subjects. 48 like-sex dyads were composed of third- and fourth-grade children, who played 50 iterations of the game. Although the focus was on the applicability of the research tool to the population studied, 3 hypotheses guided the specific design: (1) cooperative behavior would be a linear function of a ratio of differences between payoff values; (2) a cooperative response that involved turning toward the other player would not differ from a cooperative response that involved turning away from the other player; and (3) males would cooperate more often than females. Although hypothesis 1 was disconfirmed, it was found that it was easier to "forgive" someone for an injury incurred or to "repent" for an insult rendered if the person is nearby but is not faced and not seen. Females were generally more cooperative than males, contradicting hypothesis 3. It was concluded that the modified version of the PDG is applicable to a preadolescent population and could become an important tool for the study of the developmental aspects of social conflict.