"... which involved 96 participants ... Each pair repeated (“iterated”) both games 12 times, though were initially told the number of repetitions was randomly determined. The researchers created global competition by revealing that the players with the four highest pay-offs would receive monetary awards."
What people say they would do in a simulation might be different to what they would. Maybe they didn't bring a shovel. Maybe there's already 96 people at the snow face and you'd only be getting in the way.
Exactly. In the real world, this is likely iterated dozens of times every winter, against neighbors you'll see repeatedly.
In a college classroom, where someone tells you you'll get fifty bucks if you score high on a game? If they tell me I get bonus points for stealing their shovel, why wouldn't I choose that option? Nothing is at stake.
Also, the real world is rarely so symmetric. Most of the time, one party has diminished ability to retaliate, and so gets defected against much more often.
"... which involved 96 participants ... Each pair repeated (“iterated”) both games 12 times, though were initially told the number of repetitions was randomly determined. The researchers created global competition by revealing that the players with the four highest pay-offs would receive monetary awards."
What people say they would do in a simulation might be different to what they would. Maybe they didn't bring a shovel. Maybe there's already 96 people at the snow face and you'd only be getting in the way.