Premium
The Protestant work ethic and the Prisoner's Dilemma Game
Author(s) -
Furnham Adrian,
Quilley Ruth
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1989.tb00848.x
Subject(s) - protestant work ethic , prisoner's dilemma , dilemma , psychology , social psychology , personality , set (abstract data type) , protestantism , business simulation , work (physics) , work ethic , epistemology , computer science , theology , law , simulation , mechanical engineering , philosophy , politics , political science , capitalism , programming language , engineering
Although previous research has not always found a clear relationship between personality variables and cooperative vs. competitive behaviour on experimental games, this study set out to investigate the relationship between Protestant work ethic (PWE) beliefs and game play. The Prisoner's Dilemma Game (PDG) was presented in one of two formats (conventional matrix or business simulation) and played by pairs of high, low or mixed scorers on the PWE. As predicted, the business simulation elicited more competitive responses than the conventional matrix. Furthermore, high PWE scorers tended to be more competitive than low PWE scorers. Results are discussed in terms of PWE beliefs and behaviours.