Inferences about Interdependence Shape Cooperation

Abstract
During social interactions in daily life, people possess imperfect knowledge of their interdependence (i.e., how behaviors affect each person’s outcomes), and what people infer about their interdependence can shape their behaviors. I will discuss theory and research that suggests people can infer their interdependence with others along several dimensions, including mutual dependence, power, and corresponding-versus-conflicting interests. Specifically, I will discuss agent-based models on the evolution of cooperation that indicate adaptive benefits of being able to infer interdependence and to condition cooperation on these inferences. I will review recent research that people evaluate the interdependence they experience with others during social interactions and across repeated interactions (i.e., within relationships). Finally, I will discuss how perceptions of interdependence are associated with how people cooperate and punish others’ non-cooperative norm violations.