To what extent is cooperative or altruistic behavior consistent with Darwin's law of natural selection? In recent years, mathematicians and biologists have studied models of inter- and intra-species interactions based on the mathematical theory of games to help account for such behavior in humans and other speices of social animals. This course will introduce the fundatmentals of game theory and study in depth several relevant mathematical models, especially the Prisoner's Dilemma and Hawk-Dove models. Students will investigate the extent to which Pavlovian-type conditioning can affect the evolution of cooperation. Prerequisite: Math 32, 32L, or 41
Taught by Professor David Kraines in spring 98.
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