Behavioral and Rater Prediction Data Associated with "Predicting Cooperation with Minimal Information: Convergence Between Evolved and Artificial Mindreading Heuristics"

This dataset contains behavioral and rater data collected across two studies, along with performance benchmarks from artificial prediction heuristics applied to the same behavioral data.

The first component comprises behavioral data from a repeated Split-or-Take-All Prisoner's Dilemma experiment conducted at a university experimental economics laboratory. Anonymously paired participants chose to either cooperate ("Split") or defect ("Take All") across two rounds, with payoffs determined by the combination of both players' choices: mutual Split yielded 5 USD to each player, mutual Take All yielded 0 USD to each, and mismatched choices awarded 10 USD to the defector and 0 USD to the cooperator. The dataset includes each participant's Round 1 and Round 2 choices, their partner's choices, and round-by-round payoff outcomes.

The second component comprises data from an online rater prediction study conducted via Prolific, in which raters predicted participants' Round 2 choices across conditions varying access to behavioral information. This component includes rater predictions, prediction accuracy measures, and demographic variables.

The third component comprises prediction accuracy benchmarks generated by a set of artificial heuristics — including base rate, strategic reciprocator, and optimizing heuristic strategies — applied to the same participant behavioral data. These benchmarks allow direct comparison of human rater prediction performance against rule-based artificial prediction strategies.

These three components above are all packaged into a single tab of the .csv file in this record. A second tab serves as the data dictionary, defining variable names in the first tab.

The fourth component is the survey instrument, including participant instructions, consent form, attention checks, and all survey questions administered to raters, which is included as a separate .pdf file in this record. The instrument retains Qualtrics display logic and branching notation to fully document the conditional structure of the survey flow across experimental conditions.

These data support research on cooperative behavior, reciprocity, social prediction, and strategic decision-making in repeated social dilemmas. Researchers interested in prisoner's dilemma dynamics, conditional cooperation, impression formation, behavioral prediction, or human-AI comparison may find this dataset useful. Associated publications are listed under Related Identifiers.

Thin-slice video clips of participants recorded immediately prior to their Round 2 decision were shown to raters in the prediction experiment and are archived separately (see Related Identifiers). A restricted-access record linking visual stimuli to participant behavioral data is available upon request.

For questions about the data, contact the corresponding author via the associated publication.