How A Professor tested his students with the Prisoner’s Dilemma
Every year since 2008, a professor at the University of Maryland has been bribing his students with extra credit points on an essay. The students could choose to either receive 2 extra points or 6 extra points. The one caveat is that if more than 10% of the class chooses 6 extra credit points, then no one in the class will receive any extra credit. In other words, the students must try and guess how everyone else in the class will pick. Should each play it safe and choose two points? Or should they take a risk and go for the 6 points?
The prisoner’s dilemma is a concept where two “prisoners” are arrested and questioned in separate rooms with no way to communicate. If both confess, they will be sentenced up to two years in jail, for example. If neither confess, they will each face 1 year in jail. If only one prisoner confesses and the other doesn’t, the one who confessed gets to go free, while the one who remained silent will face 3 years in jail. In hindsight, it is better for both prisoners to confess, because then, they will either face 0 or 1 years in jail, depending on what the other chooses.
Going back to the class at the University of Maryland, the students face a similar dilemma. Assuming they are unaware of what anyone else in the class chooses, they could choose 2 points (which is equal to confessing), or 6 point (not confessing). If everyone chooses to “confess”, then everyone receives 2 points. If at least 90% of the class chooses to “confess”, then everyone gets either 2 or 6 points. If greater than 10% of the class chooses to “not confess”, then no one gets points. In this situation, it is better for everyone to “confess”, because then everyone will get points, whereas there is a much greater chance of receiving no points if too many choose to remain silent.
http://www.businessinsider.com/professor-tests-prisoners-dilemma-on-his-students-2015-7