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Incipient Cognition Solves the Spatial Reciprocity Conundrum of Cooperation

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  • Jeromos Vukov
  • Francisco C Santos
  • Jorge M Pacheco

Abstract

Background: From the simplest living organisms to human societies, cooperation among individuals emerges as a paradox difficult to explain and describe mathematically, although very often observed in reality. Evolutionary game theory offers an excellent toolbar to investigate this issue. Spatial structure has been one of the first mechanisms promoting cooperation; however, alone it only opens a narrow window of viability. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we equip individuals with incipient cognitive abilities, and investigate the evolution of cooperation in a spatial world where retaliation, forgiveness, treason and mutualism may coexist, as individuals engage in Prisoner's Dilemma games. In the model, individuals are able to distinguish their partners and act towards them based on previous interactions. We show how the simplest level of cognition, alone, can lead to the emergence of cooperation. Conclusions/Significance: Despite the incipient nature of the individuals' cognitive abilities, cooperation emerges for unprecedented values of the temptation to cheat, being also robust to invasion by cheaters, errors in decision making and inaccuracy of imitation, features akin to many species, including humans.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeromos Vukov & Francisco C Santos & Jorge M Pacheco, 2011. "Incipient Cognition Solves the Spatial Reciprocity Conundrum of Cooperation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(3), pages 1-5, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0017939
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017939
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tianming Yang & Michael N. Shadlen, 2007. "Probabilistic reasoning by neurons," Nature, Nature, vol. 447(7148), pages 1075-1080, June.
    2. Herbert A. Simon, 1984. "Models of Bounded Rationality, Volume 1: Economic Analysis and Public Policy," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262690861, December.
    3. Peter D. Taylor & Troy Day & Geoff Wild, 2007. "Evolution of cooperation in a finite homogeneous graph," Nature, Nature, vol. 447(7143), pages 469-472, May.
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    1. Jelena Grujić & Torsten Röhl & Dirk Semmann & Manfred Milinski & Arne Traulsen, 2012. "Consistent Strategy Updating in Spatial and Non-Spatial Behavioral Experiments Does Not Promote Cooperation in Social Networks," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(11), pages 1-8, November.
    2. Li, Haihong & Dai, Qionglin & Cheng, Hongyan & Yang, Junzhong, 2012. "Cooperation in an evolutionary prisoner’s dilemma game with probabilistic strategies," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 45(11), pages 1397-1403.

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