Social dilemmas The prisoner’s dilemma Resolving social dilemmas

Begins with a cooperative opening play and then always matches the other player’s last response

	First, it pays to be "nice."
	Second, a successful strategy is "provocable."
	Third, a successful strategy is "forgiving."

	Competition
	Perceived injustice

Misperception

	Mirror-image perceptions We are good, you are bad
	Shifting perceptions Japanese after World War II
	Exaggerating the Other’s Position   both sides assume that the difference between the two sides’ attitudes is one and one half to four times greater than is the actual difference

Hypothetical case of Peter Colger who has been looking forward to a two-week vacation at a quiet mountain lodge. His wife, Mary, however, has expressed her preference for a busy seaside resort contending, that is, arguing for the merits of a mountain vacation, even threatening to go alone if Mary does not agree problem-solving approach and attempt to find a vacation spot that satisfies both sets of interests yield to Mary’s preference and go to the seashore inactive (do nothing) in the hope that their disagreement will go away withdraw from the controversy by deciding not to take any vacation.

	Contact
	When does desegregation improve racial attitudes? Friendship Equal status contact

	Common external threats
	Superordinate goals
	Cooperative learning
	Generalizing positive attitudes
	Group and superordinate identities

	Competition between two groups of boy campers escalated
	Superordinate goal of restoring water to make enemies into friends Remember this at church camp!

Shomer, Davis, & Kelley, 1966 - under certain limited conditions threat may promote cooperation When threat is the only form of communication possible, and when it can signal one’s intent without actually producing a negative outcome for the opposing party, it may facilitate cooperation In most cases, however, threat increases rather than decreases tension

Communication Bargaining Mediation Arbitration

GRIT Graduated and reciprocated initiatives in tension reduction To de-escalate international tensions

	Expanding the fixed pie
	Dehexing the winner’s curse Get a mechanic’s evaluation
	De-escalating conflict
	Undercutting overconfidence
	Reframing negotiations

	Set limits on your involvement and commitment.
	Once the limit has been set, stick to it.
	Do not look to other people to see what you should do.
	Be conscious of your desire to impress others.
	Remind yourself of the costs involved.
	Remain vigilant. Avoiding one trap does not guarantee you will successfully avoid the next.