1. Edward Swing (“Ted”)
Graduate Assistant
Office: 484 Science I

2. Conflict and Peacemaking Outline
The Nature of Conflict
Social Dilemmas
Efforts in Peacemaking

3. Conflict
Individuals perceive an incompatibility of their actions or goals
Often there is some incompatibility of goals
Individual's perceptions magnify that incompatibility

4. Misperceptions of Others
Several social psychological processes can bias our perceptions of others: self-serving bias, fundamental attribution error, stereotypes
This can lead to unfair negative beliefs about an individual that contribute to conflict

5. Zero-sum games
Gains for one party are accompanied by equal losses for the other party
Most real life conflicts are not zero- sum games
Both sides can simultaneously achieve their goals or both can simultaneously fail
Does not always lead to cooperation

6. Social Dilemmas
The best choice for each individual, when selected by many people, is harmful for everyone
Not zero-sum games

7. Classic Prisoner's Dilemma

8. Classic Prisoner's Dilemma

9. Prisoner's Dilemma

10. Different Strategies
Always cooperate
Always defect
Tit-for-Tat: Start with cooperation, then respond as your opponent did on the previous round

11. Public Goods Dilemma
Everyone must contribute to a common pool of goods in order to maintain it
Individual: Advantageous to take without contributing (same benefit, less cost)
Group: Most people must contribute or nobody benefits

12. Commons Dilemma
Everyone takes from a limited resource that replenishes over time
Often occurs with environmental resources
Individually focused strategy leads to depletion of the resource, hurts group

13. Peacemaking: Solutions to Social Dilemmas
Regulation
In commons dilemmas it can help ensure the resource replenishes and assures that distribution is fair
Regulation has costs associated with it and may not be viable

14. Benefits of Communication
Contact can increase liking through the mere exposure effect
Facilitate trust: Dawes (1980, 1984) experiment, participants in groups of seven could either take $6 for themselves or give $2 to each other person
When there was no communication, only 30% gave their money to the others
After communication, 80% chose to give the money to the others

15. Risks of Communication
Contact does not always work: an equal status environment is important
Negative expectations may be met
Exchanging threats may lead to further conflict

16. Deutsch's Trucking Company Game

17. Cooperation
Common external threats
Superordinate goals lead both parties to work together for a common purpose
Shared group identity reduces conflict

18. Summary
Conflicts are fueled by misperceptions of others and the level of conflict with their goals
Social dilemmas illustrate that acting in ones personal interest sometimes hurts the interests of the group
Prisoner's Dilemma
Public Goods Dilemma
Commons Dilemma

19. Summary
Strategies that regulate behavior help with some social dilemmas
Creating cooperation can reduce conflict
Communication is an important part of peacemaking, but only if it increases trust or positive feelings