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Cooperativeness and competitiveness in children

Cardenas, Juan-Camilo ; Dreber, Anna ; von Essen, Emma and Ranehill, Eva LU (2015) In Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics 59. p.32-41
Abstract
Cooperation and competition are both essential elements of economic life. Here we explore how cooperativeness in a prisoner's dilemma correlates with competitiveness in a sample of 9–12 years old children in Colombia and Sweden. Using two different measures and four different tasks for competitiveness, we find no consistent relationship between cooperativeness and competitiveness. However, we find evidence of a negative relationship between willingness to compete in a math task and cooperativeness in the overall sample. Competitiveness in math has previously been related to educational choices, and may therefore be the most economically relevant relationship.
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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Cooperation, Competitiveness, Experiment, Children
in
Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics
volume
59
pages
32 - 41
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84943633966
ISSN
2214-8043
DOI
10.1016/j.socec.2015.09.003
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
1886ee10-46f7-49f5-b9bd-3794f836ce73
date added to LUP
2025-09-04 10:57:51
date last changed
2025-09-05 13:15:27
@article{1886ee10-46f7-49f5-b9bd-3794f836ce73,
  abstract     = {{Cooperation and competition are both essential elements of economic life. Here we explore how cooperativeness in a prisoner's dilemma correlates with competitiveness in a sample of 9–12 years old children in Colombia and Sweden. Using two different measures and four different tasks for competitiveness, we find no consistent relationship between cooperativeness and competitiveness. However, we find evidence of a negative relationship between willingness to compete in a math task and cooperativeness in the overall sample. Competitiveness in math has previously been related to educational choices, and may therefore be the most economically relevant relationship.}},
  author       = {{Cardenas, Juan-Camilo and Dreber, Anna and von Essen, Emma and Ranehill, Eva}},
  issn         = {{2214-8043}},
  keywords     = {{Cooperation; Competitiveness; Experiment; Children}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  pages        = {{32--41}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics}},
  title        = {{Cooperativeness and competitiveness in children}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2015.09.003}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.socec.2015.09.003}},
  volume       = {{59}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}