The effect of ostracism and optional participation on the evolution of cooperation in the voluntary public goods game.

ABSTRACT: Not only animals, plants and microbes but also humans cooperate in groups. The evolution of cooperation in a group is an evolutionary puzzle, because defectors always obtain a higher benefit than cooperators. When people participate in a group, they evaluate group member's reputations and then decide whether to participate in it. In some groups, membership is open to all who are willing to participate in the group. In other groups, a candidate is excluded from membership if group members regard the candidate's reputation as bad. We developed an evolutionary game model and investigated how participation in groups and ostracism influence the evolution of cooperation in groups when group members play the voluntary public goods game, by means of computer simulation. When group membership is op

SUBMITTER: Nakamaru M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4177995 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature