Doctoral Dissertation Research: Preferential Association and Allocation Decisions

katherine stovelen - sheng jiang华盛顿大学了解个体如何？公平判断的产生是社会科学领域的一个重要研究课题。利用社会学对合作伙伴选择过程重要性的见解，本项目将数学模型与实验室实验相结合，以调查动态偏好关联是否会增加二元分配决策中的公平性。优先关联在这里是通过允许参与者根据从以前的经验中获得的偏好对潜在交互伙伴池中的成员进行排序来实现的。有充分的理由相信，这种方法更好地反映了我们在日常生活、社会或经济交易中观察到的真实互动模式。在这个项目的第一部分，研究者通过引入最后通牒游戏的模型来评估公平的普遍性。一种涉及分配固定资源的双人游戏。在这个博弈中，第一个参与人提出一个关于如何与第二个参与人分配固定赌注的建议。第二个玩家可以接受或拒绝被提议的除法；如果被接受，利害关系是如此的分散。如果第二个玩家拒绝除法，两个玩家都得不到任何东西。数学模型表明，当参与者根据彼此的偏好排序来匹配游戏伙伴时，提议更公平。在项目的第二部分，研究人员进行了一个实验，使用通过网络计算机连接的本科生受试者。实验设计允许研究者检查不同的相互作用结构如何影响公平分配的可能性。他们期望，当实验对象与他们喜欢的对象配对时，他们的行为会比随机分配一个玩伴时更公平，惩罚更少。更广泛的影响：从本质上讲，本研究对动态伴侣选择与公平之间关系的研究结果将增强我们对亲社会行为如何在真实社会环境中出现的理解。了解影响公平分配的因素将有助于揭示一系列问题，包括双方在案件审判前达成和解的可能性有多大。在一个正式机构经常声称垄断争端解决的时代，该研究解决了关于公平划分如何通过分散的社会过程出现的经验证据的需求。此外，该项目有助于华盛顿大学社会科学实验基础设施的发展，并将为本科生提供研究机会——无论是作为受试者还是作为实验室助理。

SES-0802825Katherine StovelYen-Sheng ChiangUniversity of WashingtonUnderstanding how individuals? judgments of fairness emerge is an important research topic in the social sciences. Drawing on sociological insights about the importance of partner selection processes, this project combines a mathematical model with a laboratory experiment in order to investigate whether dynamic preferential association increases fairness in dyadic allocative decisions. Preferential association is operationalized here by allowing actors to rank members of the pool of potential interaction partners, based on preferences derived from previous experiences. There is ample reason to believe that this approach better mirrors real patterns of interaction that we observe in our daily life social or economic transactions.In the first portion of this project, the investigators assess the prevalence of fairness by introducing a model of the Ultimatum Game?a two-player game involving a division of fixed resources. In this game the first player makes a proposal concerning how to split fixed stakes with a second player. The second player can either accept or reject the proposed division; if accepted, the stakes are so divided. If the second player rejects the division, neither player receives anything. The mathematical model shows that when actors are matched with playing partners based on their mutual ranked preferences, proposals are more equitable. In the second part of the project, the researchers conduct an experiment using undergraduate subjects connected via networked computers. The experimental design allows the investigators to examine how different interaction structures affect the likelihood of fair allocations. They expect that when subjects are paired with subjects they prefer to play with, their behavior will be more equitable and less punishing than when they are randomly assigned a playing partner. Broader Impacts: Substantively, the results of this investigation into the relationship between dynamic partner selection and fairness will enhance our understanding of how prosocial behaviors emerge in real social contexts. Understanding the factors that affect equitable divisions will shed light on a whole host of problems, including how likely two parties are to settle before a case goes trial. In an era when formal institutions often claim a monopoly on dispute resolution, the research addresses the need for empirical evidence concerning how equitable divisions can emerge through decentralized social processes. In addition, the project contributes to the development of an experimental infrastructure in the social sciences at the University of Washington, and will provide research opportunities for undergraduate students--both as subjects and as lab assistants.