Cooperative behaviour in a prisoners dilemma – a terror management perspective

Tremayne, K. and Curtis, G.J. (2007) Cooperative behaviour in a prisoners dilemma – a terror management perspective. In: Proceedings of the 4th International Biennial SELF Research Conference: Self-Concept , Motivation, Social and Personal Identity for the 21st Century, 23-26 July 2006, Ann Arbor, USA..

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Abstract

This paper examines the terror management function of cooperative behaviour within a single-play Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD). Using 312 introductory psychology students, mortality salience significantly increased the cooperative behaviour of prosocial participants, while there was a non-significant difference in cooperative behaviour for individualistic and competitive participants. Changes in cooperative behaviour were not influenced by the ingroup or outgroup status of the other player. These findings identify cooperative behaviour for prosocials as an important behaviour that serves a terror management function.