Sociology 8th Edition by Margaret Andersen ,Howard Taylor ,Kim Logio

Exercise 4

The Prisoner's Dilemma Game
Research Method: The "prisoner's dilemma" is a classic "trade-off" game in the study of social interaction. Different varieties of it are often used in sociological studies of social interaction. The dilemma arises in a story about two criminals, whom we will call Bart and Mack. They are arrested on suspicion of having committed armed robbery. They are found by the police to be carrying concealed weapons, but they do not have enough evidence to link them to the robbery. Accordingly, the police question them separately. Both men are invited to confess to the crime and hence betray each other.
Research Question: What happens to either of them depends upon how each reacts. How do real people react if put in this prisoner's dilemma situation?
Research Results: This is a hypothetical exercise with different potential outcomes. One possibility is that neither confesses to the crime. This represents a cooperative alternative for each person. They cooperate with each other and reject the deals offered by the police. If this happens, both will get only a light prison sentence.
Another possibility is that one person will confess (the competitive alternative) while the other will not (the cooperative alternative). If Bart confesses and Mack does not, then the police will let Bart go free as a reward for testimony against Mack, who will get a long prison sentence. The outcomes are reversed if Bart does not confess and Mack does.
The last possible result is that both confess. In this case, both receive moderate prison terms. The "dilemma" is thus whether to confess and betray your partner, or hold out (not confess) and cooperate with him. How might you run an experiment to examine these different potential outcomes?
Conclusions and Implications: What real-life situations represent situations like the prisoner's dilemma. What about arguments with your brother or sister when you were growing up? Here is a good one: What if both you and a friend have cheated on a final exam? Should you "tell on" him or her to the instructor? Should your friend tell on you?
Questions to Consider
What if they were of the same gender but of different races-one Black, one White? Speculate.