Abstract
This paper considers a series of examples in which evolution
supports cooperative behavior in single-shot prisoners' dilemma.
Examples include genetic inheritance for asexual siblings and for sexual
diploid siblings. We also study two models of ``cultural inheritance'';
one in which siblings copy either their parents or an extrafamilial
role model and one in which neighbors arrayed along a circular road copy
successful neighbors. Finally, we consider a model in which parents choose
their behavior, realizing that it may be imitated by their children. A
unifying principle of these models is that cooperative behavior more
is likely to be sustained in environments where relatively successful organisms
are copied relatively often and where organisms that have the same
role model are more likely to interact with each other than with a randomly
selected member of the population.
Link to JSTOR copy of this article
The AER page restrictions forced us to cut out a mathematical appendix
and a diagram.
The link below is to a working paper version that contains this material.