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SUMMARY:How reciprocity renders networks irrelevant for cooperation in soc
 ial dilemmas - Anxo Sanchez\, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
DTSTART:20120629T153000Z
DTEND:20120629T161500Z
UID:TALK38810@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Microsoft Research Cambridge Talks Admins
DESCRIPTION:A very popular explanation for the emergence of cooperation\, 
 a problematic phenomenon for a rational approach\, is the existence of an 
 underlying network of contacts constraining who one can interact with. A w
 ealth of theoretical studies  have concluded during the last twenty years 
 that this ``network reciprocity'' is indeed possible under a variety of ci
 rcumstances. In particular\, simulations indicate that heterogeneous netwo
 rks should be particularly efficient in fostering cooperation in social di
 lemmas. In order to put these theoretical results through the test of expe
 riments beyond the few available laboratory works on very small networks\,
  we studied two large networks\, with 1229 human subjects\, placed either 
 on a square lattice or on a scale-free network. Despite their very differe
 nt structure\, the level of cooperation reached was indistinguishable in b
 oth networks  and comparable to that found in smaller ones or in unstructu
 red populations. Our results exclude network reciprocity as a valid hypoth
 esis to explain the emergence of cooperation among humans involved in a Pr
 isoner's Dilemma\, mostly because humans seem to disregard payoff differen
 ces with their neighbours\, adopting a more reciprocal attitude.
LOCATION:Large lecture theatre\, Microsoft Research Ltd\, 7 J J Thomson Av
 enue (Off Madingley Road)\, Cambridge
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