Cooperation and Competence

• Interdependence Theory


  A tool for analyzing and understanding the influence of interpersonal situations on social interaction
• Interdependence Theory


  • Focuses on the problems and consequences of coordination (or non-coordination) of behaviour for 2 or more actors
  • Takes into account objective properties of the situation first, before considering subjective evaluations
• Prisoner's Dilemma Game (PDG)


  The most famous game in Interdependence Theory
• Variations of the pay-off matrix in the PDG


  • Snowdrift game (aka "chicken game")
• Cooperation requires


  1. Mental models

  2. Planning skills

  3. Reasoning about others

  4. Communication (of some sort)
• Whenever individual human behaviour is compared against a mathematical model, it deviates from optimal behaviour
• Normative vs descriptive take on behaviour


  • Normative: Are they doing the right thing?
  • Descriptive: Why are they doing what it is they're doing?
• Social exchange theory


  Perspective similar to Interdependence Theory, focusing on the social resources that are being exchanged among actors
• Investment model


  3 central concepts: Outcome (Is), Comparison level (Ought), Comparison level for alternatives
• Social motives (aka social value orientation)


  Personality trait "tailored" towards game situations: Cooperators, Individualists, Competitors
• Negotiation


  An exchange of offers and counteroffers with the aim to combine the interests of all sides in one mutually accepted solution
• Dual-concern model


  General approach to negotiation depends on motives: Concern for other's outcome, Concern for own outcome
• Mediation


  Negotiation involving outsiders ("third parties") as assistance
• Mediation is a fairly established procedure in industrial labour-management disputes, and is becoming more common as an out-of-court procedure for all kinds of disputes
• Past exam question - "Critically discuss whether humans can be called rational decision-makers in social interactions."