Social Dilemmas Flashcards
Whenever individuals are involved in group activities, the possibility always exists that they will be faced with a situation in which their own immediate interests ____ from those of the group.
diverge
A social dilemma is any situation in which the most rewarding short-term choice for an individual will ultimately cause ____ consequences for the group as a whole.
negative
A classic example of a social dilemma is the “_____________” described by ecologist Garret Hardin. Too many cows on the green cause it to die.
tragedy of the commons
By pursuing short-term individual gains, the farmers orchestrated a collective ____.
disaster
The depletion of the South American rainforests brings timber companies ____-____ profits, but it poses a serious ____-____ threat to our environment.
short-term : long-term
A willingness to use a public good, coupled with an unwillingness to contribute to it, is called the ____ problem.
free-rider
In all social dilemmas, people are in a situation of ____ ____ in which it is to their advantage both to cooperate and to act selfishly.
mixed motives
Their short-term interest will be advanced if they act ____, but their long-term interests and those of the group will be advanced if they ____.
Selfishly : cooperate
Although you might expect that people would cooperate when such cooperation will enhance their long-term interests, this is often _________.
not the case
Free-riding in social dilemmas, individuals deplete the group resource by taking from it more than their fair share, and in ____ ____, individuals deplete group productivity by taking some of their effort out of the collective effort.
social loafing
In both cases, being “lost in the crowd” – or deindividuated – allows members the ____ necessary to behave selfishly.
protection
____ and ____ are two primary motives driving social dilemma decisions.
Fear and greed
When people notice that others are taking a free ride or depleting collective resources, they ____ a socially responsible strategy and grab what they can.
abandon
The basic problem in resolving a social dilemma is that it requires the ____ efforts of many people. Yet all too often, people are unwilling to give up their short-term gain strategies until the social dilemma becomes quite serious.
cooperative
Sanctioning cooperative behaviour. Without a ____ system in place to regulate peoples short-term interest strategies, cooperative group members are often taken advantage of by their more competitive neighbours.
sanctioning
