Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning.
Recent theories from complexity science argue that complex dynamics are ubiquitous in social and economic systems. These claims emerge from the analysis of individually simple agents whose collective behavior is surprisingly complicated. However, economists have argued that iterated reasoning--what...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3575333?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1819020832894091264 |
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| author | Seth Frey Robert L Goldstone |
| author_facet | Seth Frey Robert L Goldstone |
| author_sort | Seth Frey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent theories from complexity science argue that complex dynamics are ubiquitous in social and economic systems. These claims emerge from the analysis of individually simple agents whose collective behavior is surprisingly complicated. However, economists have argued that iterated reasoning--what you think I think you think--will suppress complex dynamics by stabilizing or accelerating convergence to Nash equilibrium. We report stable and efficient periodic behavior in human groups playing the Mod Game, a multi-player game similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game rewards subjects for thinking exactly one step ahead of others in their group. Groups that play this game exhibit cycles that are inconsistent with any fixed-point solution concept. These cycles are driven by a "hopping" behavior that is consistent with other accounts of iterated reasoning: agents are constrained to about two steps of iterated reasoning and learn an additional one-half step with each session. If higher-order reasoning can be complicit in complex emergent dynamics, then cyclic and chaotic patterns may be endogenous features of real-world social and economic systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T03:57:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9510529758846a9b55f177294479bfe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T03:57:29Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9510529758846a9b55f177294479bfe2022-12-21T19:16:48ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0182e5641610.1371/journal.pone.0056416Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning.Seth FreyRobert L GoldstoneRecent theories from complexity science argue that complex dynamics are ubiquitous in social and economic systems. These claims emerge from the analysis of individually simple agents whose collective behavior is surprisingly complicated. However, economists have argued that iterated reasoning--what you think I think you think--will suppress complex dynamics by stabilizing or accelerating convergence to Nash equilibrium. We report stable and efficient periodic behavior in human groups playing the Mod Game, a multi-player game similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game rewards subjects for thinking exactly one step ahead of others in their group. Groups that play this game exhibit cycles that are inconsistent with any fixed-point solution concept. These cycles are driven by a "hopping" behavior that is consistent with other accounts of iterated reasoning: agents are constrained to about two steps of iterated reasoning and learn an additional one-half step with each session. If higher-order reasoning can be complicit in complex emergent dynamics, then cyclic and chaotic patterns may be endogenous features of real-world social and economic systems.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3575333?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Seth Frey Robert L Goldstone Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning. PLoS ONE |
| title | Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning. |
| title_full | Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning. |
| title_fullStr | Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning. |
| title_short | Cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning. |
| title_sort | cyclic game dynamics driven by iterated reasoning |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3575333?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sethfrey cyclicgamedynamicsdrivenbyiteratedreasoning AT robertlgoldstone cyclicgamedynamicsdrivenbyiteratedreasoning |