INCA: a multi-choice model of cooperation under restricted communication

Abstract The advantage of the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma as a model of interaction is its simplicity, which allows deep mathematical analysis. On the other hand, it is unrealistic to assume that there are only two possible actions, that one always knows in advance what constitutes cooperative actions, and that successive actions are independent of each other. The present work proposes an extended interaction model with multiple action choices, only vague a priori notions of cooperativeness with action selection constraints from previous choices and the possibility of gradual cooperation. The model assumes that the partners cannot communicate except for through their action choices. The model was explored experimentally. The results indicate that cooperation may not always be achieved as easily as the iterated prisoner's dilemma model suggests and that extended interaction models should be used as additional tools for interaction analysis.