Achieving greater cooperation in a noisy prisoner’s
dilemma: an experimental investigation q
Barbara Sainty
Abstract
Levels of cooperation between paired subjects in a prisoner’s dilemma were compared across
two experimental conditions. Different mechanisms to reduce noise were varied across cells. One
mechanism provided additional feedback directly to participants as to the effort choice of their partner.
The other mechanism was endogenous. The direct mechanism was more effective in achieving
greater levels of cooperation. Results imply that cooperation can be manipulated (increased) through
greater precision in feedback. However, the feedback mechanism is important in achieving greater
cooperation. All mechanisms that reduce noise in the environment do not achieve the same level of
increased cooperation