Consider a population with the following givens: 1) 75% cooperators and 25% defectors,
2) a 8 unit payoff goes to cooperators who interact with another cooperator,
3) a zero unit payoff goes to a cooperator who interacts with a defector,
4) the cost of knowing which is which is 2.
If the population balance rises above 75%
A)It will no longer make sense for cooperators to pay the price of scrutiny
B)Defectors will have a lower payoff
C)Cooperators will all pay the cost of scrutiny
D)Defectors will all pay the cost of scrutiny

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the population balance rises above 75%, there will be more cooperators than defectors, meaning that the likelihood of interacting with a cooperator is high. Therefore, the cost of knowing which is which (i.e. paying the cost of scrutiny) becomes less important as the benefits outweigh the costs. Cooperators may start to defect and not pay the cost of scrutiny, as they are more likely to interact with other cooperators and receive the higher payoff.

Consider a Population with the Following Givens: 1) 75% Cooperators