Dressing the mind properly for the game.

Full Abstract

Game theory as a theoretical and empirical approach to interaction has spread from economics to psychology, political science, sociology and biology. Numerous social interactions-foraging, talking, trusting, coordinating, competing-can be formally represented in a game with specific rules and strategies. These same interactions seem to rely on an interweaving of mental selves, but an effective strategy need not depend on explicit strategizing and higher mental capabilities, as less sentient creatures or even lines of software can play similar games. Human players are distinct because we are less consistent and our choices respond to elements of the setting that appear to be strategically insignificant. Recent analyses of this variable response have yielded a number of insights into the mental approach of human players:
we often mentalize, but not always; we are endowed with social preferences; we distinguish among various types of opponents; we manifest different personalities; we are often guided by security concerns; and our strategic sophistication is usually modest.

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Author information

Author/s: Sally, David (D);

Affiliation: Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management, 371 Sage Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853 6201, USA. dfs12(-atsign-)cornell.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences (Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Mar; vol 358 (issue 1431) : pp 583-92

Dates: Created 2003/04/11; Completed 2003/05/01; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 12689383, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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