More for me or more for you? The effects of power and resource asymmetry on cooperation

Kuhlman, D. MichaelPeople frequently have interactions where they are interdependent, but differ in the extent to which they have power and resources. Two forms of power are the control one has over the outcomes of others (responsibility) and the extent to which one’s outcomes are controlled by others (dependence). With regard to resources, individuals may have more or less resources than others. Prior research on power shows that social dilemmas with higher dependence and higher responsibility illicit more cooperation, but does not show whether dependence or responsibility is the cause of the cooperation. In the first study, participants chose between cooperative and non-cooperative options in a series of Prisoner’s Dilemma games (PDG) that varied in dependence and responsibility. It was found that more participants were cooperative in games that had a greater amount of dependence and slightly fewer participants cooperated in games that had a greater amount of responsibility. In Study 2, the games used also varied the amount of resources the participant had relative to the other decision maker. It was found that participants cooperated at the highest rate when they had a resource advantage, less when they had equal resources, and least when they had a resource disadvantage. In both studies the effects of dependence and resources were moderated by Social Value Orientation (SVO): the effects were strongest for people with a joint gain maximizing orientation (Js), weaker for those with an own gain maximizing orientation (Os), and non-significant for people with a relative gain maximizing orientation (Rs).University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesPh.D