Suppose that each of two prisoners has the independent choice of confessing to a crime or not confessing to a crime they were both alleged to commit.If neither confesses,both spend two years in prison;if both confess,both spend three years in prison.If one confesses and the other does not,the confessor gets off with one year but the other gets six years.According to game theory,the MOST likely strategy of the prisoners is that:
A)both will confess.
B)neither will confess.
C)one will confess and the other will not.
D)both may or may not confess.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario is a classic example of the Prisoner's Dilemma in game theory. The dominant strategy for each prisoner, when they cannot communicate and must decide independently, is to confess. This is because confessing is the best choice regardless of what the other prisoner does: if the other confesses, confessing leads to a lesser sentence (three years instead of six), and if the other doesn't confess, confessing leads to an even lesser sentence (one year). Thus, the most likely outcome is that both will confess to minimize their own potential loss, despite the fact that mutual non-confession would lead to a better collective outcome.

Suppose That Each of Two Prisoners Has the Independent Choice