Our social world commonly requires us to work together in groups to achieve our goals. However, in opposition to our need and desire to cooperate with others is our desire to compete in order to advance our own positions. Two classic studies give us some insight as to when we are likely to compete and when we are likely to cooperate. First, the Prisoner’s Dilemma Experiment gives a particular set of circumstances in which an individual can cooperate or compete. However, in order to determine which is most personally beneficial, that individual needs to predict whether a partner will cooperate or compete. Watch this video (Links to an external site.). for an explanation of the paradigm and the results of the experiment. Notice that the results of the experiment do not indicate that we are always rational in our predictions or choices. In some circumstances, we have a tendency to cooperate even when we don’t have any information that it will benefit us, and we are optimistic about the choices of others to cooperate. In other circumstances, we may compete when cooperation is actually most beneficial. As the video points out, this is likely due to the fact that we are social beings and maintaining a social standing by cooperating with others is in our long-term interest.
A second classic experiment, looks at a similar paradigm in which a shared and limited resource creates a forced choice between competition and cooperation. It is possible that each person using the resource could act competitively, but if everyone does this, the resource is no longer sustainable and thus the entire group suffers. On the other hand, each person can choose to cooperate and agree not to consume too much of the resource which allows it to remain sustainable providing less short-term benefit but more long-term benefit. This experiment is called the Tragedy of the Commons. Watch this video (Links to an external site.). for a more thorough explanation. As you saw in the video, there is an incentive to act competitively at the level of each individual. However, if each individual acts competitively the entire group loses in the long run. If they act cooperatively, then they each actually benefit the most in the long term.
Respond to the following question:
- What real world scenarios, other than those mentioned in the videos mentioned here, require the group to cooperate instead of compete for the highest level of benefit to be achieved for each individual?
videos: https://youtu.be/t9Lo2fgxWHw
