Leiden University Student Repository

Rijssel, Susan van (2024)

To Be Seen or Not to Be Seen: How Observability Affects Cooperation, Competition and Peace

Master thesis | Psychology (MSc)

Prior research has extensively examined the impact of observability on either cooperation or competition. However, the combined influence of observability in situations of cooperation and competition, as well as the influence on peace, has received comparatively less attention. In an online experiment, participants (n = 200) made multiple independent decisions with opportunities for cooperation, competition and peace. Peace is defined as the absence of both cooperation and competition. While a positive difference emerged for cooperation in the public and private condition, this discrepancy did not reach statistical significance. We did find support for the hypothesis that increased observability results in a lower level of competition. Moreover, observability shows to have no effect on whether participants opt for peace. These findings contribute to the existing body of literature on the role of observability on prosociality and provide preliminary insights into the relationship...Show morePrior research has extensively examined the impact of observability on either cooperation or competition. However, the combined influence of observability in situations of cooperation and competition, as well as the influence on peace, has received comparatively less attention. In an online experiment, participants (n = 200) made multiple independent decisions with opportunities for cooperation, competition and peace. Peace is defined as the absence of both cooperation and competition. While a positive difference emerged for cooperation in the public and private condition, this discrepancy did not reach statistical significance. We did find support for the hypothesis that increased observability results in a lower level of competition. Moreover, observability shows to have no effect on whether participants opt for peace. These findings contribute to the existing body of literature on the role of observability on prosociality and provide preliminary insights into the relationship between observability and peace.Show less

Author

Rijssel, Susan van

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Master Economic and Consumer Psychology

Supervisors

Dr. Angelo Romano

ECTS Credits

20 ECT

Language

en