Cooperative responses in rats playing a 2 x 2 game: Effects of opponent strategy, payoff, and oxytocin

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY

卷:121

Article

Donovan, Alexandra¹  Ryan, Erin¹  Wood, Ruth, I² 

[1] Univ Southern Calif, Neurosci Grad Program, Los Angeles, CA 90033 USA

[2] Univ Southern Calif, Dept Integrat Anat Sci, Keck Sch Med, 1333 San Pablo St,BMT 401, Los Angeles, CA 90033 USA

关键词: Animal behavior;    Cooperative behavior;    Operant behavior;    Oxytocin;    Prisoner's dilemma;    Social behavior;    Animal;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104803

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The present study tested cooperation in rats playing a 2 x 2 game (2 players, 2 responses) in an operant chamber, where players choose to cooperate or defect without knowledge of their partner's choice. We evaluated cooperative responses in rats (Subjects) playing different games [iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (IPD), Stag Hunt] with a Stooge partner utilizing different response strategies [Tit-for-tat (TFT), Win-stay, Lose-shift (WSLS), Random], and we determined the effects of oxytocin (OT). IPD trial outcomes and payoffs included mutual cooperation (reward, R, 3 sugar pellets each), mutual defection (punishment, P, 1 pellet each), or unilateral defection (temptation, T, 5 pellets) and cooperation (sucker, S, 0 pellets). Stag Hunt was similar, except that T = 2 pellets. We hypothesized that Subjects would make more cooperative responses when playing Stag Hunt vs IPD, when playing IPD with a Stooge using TFT vs WSLS or Random, and when treated with OT. At baseline, Subjects' overall likelihood of cooperation was unaffected by the game (IPD vs SH) or by the Stooges' response strategy (TFT, WSLS, Random). Cooperative responses earned Subjects more pellets, except when playing with a Stooge using a random strategy. Trial outcomes (R, T, S or P) also varied by game and strategy, although the mutual defection (P) was the most common. Systemic pretreatment with OT increased Subjects' cooperative responses, resulting in fewer P and more R outcomes. In particular, IPD-Random Subjects were more cooperative, even at the expense of earning fewer pellets. These results demonstrate that OT increases cooperative behavior in rats playing 2 x 2 games.

【 授权许可】

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