Elements of Reciprocity and Social Value Orientation

This study assessed the impact of social value orientation on the ability of a reciprocal choice strategy to induce high rates of cooperative behavior in a prisoner’s dilemma. Prosocials, competitors, and individualists played against reciprocal strategies for which delay of reciprocation of both cooperation and noncooperation were orthogonally manipulated. As predicted, individualists cooperated most frequently against Tit-for-tat, competitors when retaliation for noncooperation was delayed, and prosocials when their cooperative choice was immediately reciprocated. In addition, it was found that prosocials began “behavioral assimilation” as early as the second of four five-trial blocks and that changes in competitors’ rate of cooperation over time were determined by immediacy of reciprocating cooperation.