Important Note
All Semester II bachelor and master psychology courses and examinations (2020-2021) will be offered in an on-line format.
If it is safe and possible to do so, supplementary course meetings may be planned on-campus. However, attendance at these meetings will not be required to successfully complete Semester II courses.
All obligatory work groups and examinations will be offered on-line during Central European Time, which is local time in the Netherlands.
Information on the mode of instruction and the assessment method per course will be offered in Brightspace, considering the possibilities that are available at that moment. The information in Brightspace is leading during the Corona crisis, even if this does not match the information in the Prospectus.
Entry requirements
This course is only available for Master’s students in Psychology.
Description
Humans are social animals and much of their remarkable evolutionary trajectory has been attributed to their capacity to work in relatively cohesive groups of genetically unrelated others. It is in groups that humans perfected ways to disseminate knowledge, insights, and values, that negotiation and economic trade evolved, and the social and technological innovations were designed, disseminated, and implemented. Nowadays, groups are core building blocks of almost every society, and crucial for cooperation and economic development. While humans are uniquely cooperative, cooperation is also a mean to coordinate conflicts and subordinate other groups, or collectively engage in corruption and fraudulent behaviour. Here we examine the core drivers of cooperation in groups, but also highlight the role of cooperation in conflict, norm-violations, and corrupt collaboration.
After a short introduction to decision theory (topic 1) and game theory (topic 2), we will discuss evolutionary theories on how cooperation can evolve (topic 3) and how cooperation can be studied experimentally (topic 4). Then we will discuss behavioural conflict theories and empirical results on conflict and competition (topic 5). In the last topic (topic 6), we will discuss what happens when norms are violated and groups team up to engage in fraudulent behaviour (i.e. cheating and dishonesty).
Course objectives
After completion of the course, you should be able to:
summarize and describe basic concepts of decision theory
formalize social situations as 'games', using the language of game theory
apply basic game-theoretic methods to analyse these games
identify canonical games of cooperation and competition
describe evolutionary theories on cooperation
distinguish situational and psychological factors that influence cooperation, conflict, and unethical behaviour
apply the obtained theoretical knowledge to diagnose whether and when groups are expected to cooperate, compete, or behave unethically
Timetable
For the timetables of your lectures, work group sessions, and exams, see the timetables page of your study programme. You will also find the enrolment codes here. Psychology timetables
Registration
Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions. Master’s course registration
Examination
Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date; students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination. Registering for exams
Mode of instruction
8 2-hour lectures
The course is taught in English. Attendance is highly recommended. Literature is provided to deepen the understanding and provide additional insight.
Assessment method
Multiple open questions based on the lecture / lecture slides and mandatory readings.
The final grade is based on the written exam.
The Institute of Psychology follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of this fraud policy.
Reading list
Readings will be (mainly) research and review articles. The list with references and links will be announced.
Contact
Dr. Jorg Gross (for questions about the content) j.a.j.gross@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Hélène Pouponnot (for questions about logistics and administrative matters) h.s.c.pouponnot@fsw.leidenuniv.nl