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Cognitive empathy in conflict situations

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  • Gauer, Florian

    (Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University)

  • Kuzmics, Christoph

    (Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University)

Abstract

Two individuals are involved in a conflict situation in which preferences are ex ante uncertain. While they eventually learn their own preferences, they have to pay a small cost if they want to learn their opponent’s preferences. We show that, for sufficiently small positive costs of information acquisition, in any Bayesian Nash equilibrium of the resulting game of incomplete information the probability of getting informed about the opponent’s preferences is bounded away from zero and one.

Suggested Citation

  • Gauer, Florian & Kuzmics, Christoph, 2016. "Cognitive empathy in conflict situations," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 551, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    • Handle: RePEc:bie:wpaper:551
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Incomplete Information; Information Acquisition; Theory of Mind; Conflict; Imperfect Empathy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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