A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion.

PubMed

DeSmet, Ann; Van Ryckeghem, Dimitri; Compernolle, Sofie; Baranowski, Tom; Thompson, Debbe; Crombez, Geert; Poels, Karolien; Van Lippevelde, Wendy; Bastiaensens, Sara; Van Cleemput, Katrien; Vandebosch, Heidi; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

2014-12-01

Several systematic reviews have described health-promoting effects of serious games but so far no meta-analysis has been reported. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 54 serious digital game studies for healthy lifestyle promotion, in which we investigated the overall effectiveness of serious digital games on healthy lifestyle promotion outcomes and the role of theoretically and clinically important moderators. Findings showed that serious games have small positive effects on healthy lifestyles (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148; 0.373) and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge. Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120). Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior. Serious games are best individually tailored to both socio-demographic and change need information, and benefit from a strong focus on game theories or a dual theoretical foundation in both behavioral prediction and game theories. They can be effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component programs, and appeal to populations regardless of age and gender. Given that effects of games remain heterogeneous, further explorations of which game features create larger effects are needed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Making Democracy Safe for the World: A Game Theory Analysis of the Impact of Elites on the Democratization Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

elites often possess fragile self - esteem and lack empathy. Craving adulation, they often surround themselves with sycophants, placing themselves out of...variable due to their power and influence. Elites fall into two categories: self -oriented and servant-oriented. Based on game theory analysis...transitioners favor the top- down approach, servant-oriented elites favor accepting democracy, and self -oriented elites favor rejecting democracy. Analysis

Group decisions in biodiversity conservation: implications from game theory.

PubMed

Frank, David M; Sarkar, Sahotra

2010-05-27

Decision analysis and game theory have proved useful tools in various biodiversity conservation planning and modeling contexts. This paper shows how game theory may be used to inform group decisions in biodiversity conservation scenarios by modeling conflicts between stakeholders to identify Pareto-inefficient Nash equilibria. These are cases in which each agent pursuing individual self-interest leads to a worse outcome for all, relative to other feasible outcomes. Three case studies from biodiversity conservation contexts showing this feature are modeled to demonstrate how game-theoretical representation can inform group decision-making. The mathematical theory of games is used to model three biodiversity conservation scenarios with Pareto-inefficient Nash equilibria: (i) a two-agent case involving wild dogs in South Africa; (ii) a three-agent raptor and grouse conservation scenario from the United Kingdom; and (iii) an n-agent fish and coral conservation scenario from the Philippines. In each case there is reason to believe that traditional mechanism-design solutions that appeal to material incentives may be inadequate, and the game-theoretical analysis recommends a resumption of further deliberation between agents and the initiation of trust--and confidence--building measures. Game theory can and should be used as a normative tool in biodiversity conservation contexts: identifying scenarios with Pareto-inefficient Nash equilibria enables constructive action in order to achieve (closer to) optimal conservation outcomes, whether by policy solutions based on mechanism design or otherwise. However, there is mounting evidence that formal mechanism-design solutions may backfire in certain cases. Such scenarios demand a return to group deliberation and the creation of reciprocal relationships of trust.

Traffic Games: Modeling Freeway Traffic with Game Theory

PubMed Central

Cortés-Berrueco, Luis E.; Gershenson, Carlos; Stephens, Christopher R.

2016-01-01

We apply game theory to a vehicular traffic model to study the effect of driver strategies on traffic flow. The resulting model inherits the realistic dynamics achieved by a two-lane traffic model and aims to incorporate phenomena caused by driver-driver interactions. To achieve this goal, a game-theoretic description of driver interaction was developed. This game-theoretic formalization allows one to model different lane-changing behaviors and to keep track of mobility performance. We simulate the evolution of cooperation, traffic flow, and mobility performance for different modeled behaviors. The analysis of these results indicates a mobility optimization process achieved by drivers’ interactions. PMID:27855176

Traffic Games: Modeling Freeway Traffic with Game Theory.

PubMed

Cortés-Berrueco, Luis E; Gershenson, Carlos; Stephens, Christopher R

2016-01-01

We apply game theory to a vehicular traffic model to study the effect of driver strategies on traffic flow. The resulting model inherits the realistic dynamics achieved by a two-lane traffic model and aims to incorporate phenomena caused by driver-driver interactions. To achieve this goal, a game-theoretic description of driver interaction was developed. This game-theoretic formalization allows one to model different lane-changing behaviors and to keep track of mobility performance. We simulate the evolution of cooperation, traffic flow, and mobility performance for different modeled behaviors. The analysis of these results indicates a mobility optimization process achieved by drivers' interactions.

Discovery, utilisation and analysis of credible threats for 2×2 incomplete information games in the Theory of Moves framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, Jolie; Sen, Sandip

2014-04-01

Steven Brams's [(1994). Theory of moves. Cambridge University Press] Theory of Moves (TOM) is an alternative to traditional game theoretic treatment of real-life interactions, in which players choose strategies based on analysis of future moves and counter-moves that arise if game play commences at a specified start state and either player can choose to move first. In repeated play, players using TOM rationality arrive at nonmyopic equilibria. One advantage of TOM is its ability to model scenarios in which power asymmetries exist between players. In particular, threat power, i.e. the ability of one player to threaten and sustain immediate, globally disadvantageous outcomes to force a desirable result long term, can be utilised to induce Pareto optimal states in games such as Prisoner's Dilemma which result in Pareto-dominated outcomes using traditional methods. Unfortunately, prior work on TOM is limited by an assumption of complete information. This paper presents a mechanism that can be used by a player to utilise threat power when playing a strict, ordinal 2×2 game under incomplete information. We also analyse the benefits of threat power and support in this analysis with empirical evidence.

Electromagnetic game modeling through Tensor Analysis of Networks and Game Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurice, Olivier; Reineix, Alain; Lalléchère, Sébastien

2014-10-01

A complex system involves events coming from natural behaviors. Whatever is the complicated face of machines, they are still far from the complexity of natural systems. Currently, economy is one of the rare science trying to find out some ways to model human behavior. These attempts involve game theory and psychology. Our purpose is to develop a formalism able to take in charge both game and hardware modeling. We first present the Tensorial Analysis of Networks, used for the material part of the system. Then, we detail the mathematical objects defined in order to describe the evolution of the system and its gaming side. To illustrate the discussion we consider the case of a drone whose electronic can be disturbed by a radar field, but this drone must fly as near as possible close to this radar.

Applying principles from the game theory to acute stroke care: Learning from the prisoner's dilemma, stag-hunt, and other strategies.

PubMed

Saposnik, Gustavo; Johnston, S Claiborne

2016-04-01

Acute stroke care represents a challenge for decision makers. Decisions based on erroneous assessments may generate false expectations of patients and their family members, and potentially inappropriate medical advice. Game theory is the analysis of interactions between individuals to study how conflict and cooperation affect our decisions. We reviewed principles of game theory that could be applied to medical decisions under uncertainty. Medical decisions in acute stroke care are usually made under constrains: short period of time, with imperfect clinical information, limit understanding about patients and families' values and beliefs. Game theory brings some strategies to help us manage complex medical situations under uncertainty. For example, it offers a different perspective by encouraging the consideration of different alternatives through the understanding of patients' preferences and the careful evaluation of cognitive distortions when applying 'real-world' data. The stag-hunt game teaches us the importance of trust to strength cooperation for a successful patient-physician interaction that is beyond a good or poor clinical outcome. The application of game theory to stroke care may improve our understanding of complex medical situations and help clinicians make practical decisions under uncertainty. © 2016 World Stroke Organization.

Who Does the Housework?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vierling-Claassen, Angela

2010-01-01

Ever had a roommate? Then you know that it can be difficult to share housekeeping duties. This article uses game theory to analyze situations in which there is a task to be done and two people who might do it. We then use our analysis to consider what game theory tells us about the gendered division of household labor.

Analysis of the expected density of internal equilibria in random evolutionary multi-player multi-strategy games.

PubMed

Duong, Manh Hong; Han, The Anh

2016-12-01

In this paper, we study the distribution and behaviour of internal equilibria in a d-player n-strategy random evolutionary game where the game payoff matrix is generated from normal distributions. The study of this paper reveals and exploits interesting connections between evolutionary game theory and random polynomial theory. The main contributions of the paper are some qualitative and quantitative results on the expected density, [Formula: see text], and the expected number, E(n, d), of (stable) internal equilibria. Firstly, we show that in multi-player two-strategy games, they behave asymptotically as [Formula: see text] as d is sufficiently large. Secondly, we prove that they are monotone functions of d. We also make a conjecture for games with more than two strategies. Thirdly, we provide numerical simulations for our analytical results and to support the conjecture. As consequences of our analysis, some qualitative and quantitative results on the distribution of zeros of a random Bernstein polynomial are also obtained.

Evolutionary game theory for physical and biological scientists. I. Training and validating population dynamics equations.

PubMed

Liao, David; Tlsty, Thea D

2014-08-06

Failure to understand evolutionary dynamics has been hypothesized as limiting our ability to control biological systems. An increasing awareness of similarities between macroscopic ecosystems and cellular tissues has inspired optimism that game theory will provide insights into the progression and control of cancer. To realize this potential, the ability to compare game theoretic models and experimental measurements of population dynamics should be broadly disseminated. In this tutorial, we present an analysis method that can be used to train parameters in game theoretic dynamics equations, used to validate the resulting equations, and used to make predictions to challenge these equations and to design treatment strategies. The data analysis techniques in this tutorial are adapted from the analysis of reaction kinetics using the method of initial rates taught in undergraduate general chemistry courses. Reliance on computer programming is avoided to encourage the adoption of these methods as routine bench activities.

Conflict and coordination in the provision of public goods: a conceptual analysis of continuous and step-level games.

PubMed

Abele, Susanne; Stasser, Garold; Chartier, Christopher

2010-11-01

Conflicts between individual and collective interests are ubiquitous in social life. Experimental studies have investigated the resolution of such conflicts using public goods games with either continuous or step-level payoff functions. Game theory and social interdependence theory identify consequential differences between these two types of games. Continuous function games are prime examples of social dilemmas because they always contain a conflict between individual and collective interests, whereas step-level games can be construed as social coordination games. Step-level games often provide opportunities for coordinated solutions that benefit both the collective and the individuals. For this and other reasons, the authors conclude that one cannot safely generalize results obtained from step-level to continuous-form games (or vice versa). Finally, the authors identify specific characteristics of the payoff function in public goods games that conceptually mark the transition from a pure dilemma to a coordination problem nested within a dilemma.

Power allocation for SWIPT in K-user interference channels using game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Zhigang; Liu, Ying; Liu, Xiaoqing; Li, Shan; Chen, Xianya

2018-12-01

A simultaneous wireless information and power transfer system in interference channels of multi-users is considered. In this system, each transmitter sends one data stream to its targeted receiver, which causes interference to other receivers. Since all transmitter-receiver links want to maximize their own average transmission rate, a power allocation problem under the transmit power constraints and the energy-harvesting constraints is developed. To solve this problem, we propose a game theory framework. Then, we convert the game into a variational inequalities problem by establishing the connection between game theory and variational inequalities and solve the variational inequalities problem. Through theoretical analysis, the existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium are both guaranteed by the theory of variational inequalities. A distributed iterative alternating optimization water-filling algorithm is derived, which is proved to converge. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm reaches fast convergence and achieves a higher sum rate than the unaided scheme.

The Uses of Teaching Games in Game Theory Classes and Some Experimental Games.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shubik, Martin

2002-01-01

Discusses the use of lightly controlled games, primarily in classes in game theory. Considers the value of such games from the viewpoint of both teaching and experimentation and discusses context; control; pros and cons of games in teaching; experimental games; and games in class, including cooperative game theory. (Author/LRW)

Development of a Coding Instrument to Assess the Quality and Content of Anti-Tobacco Video Games.

PubMed

Alber, Julia M; Watson, Anna M; Barnett, Tracey E; Mercado, Rebeccah; Bernhardt, Jay M

2015-07-01

Previous research has shown the use of electronic video games as an effective method for increasing content knowledge about the risks of drugs and alcohol use for adolescents. Although best practice suggests that theory, health communication strategies, and game appeal are important characteristics for developing games, no instruments are currently available to examine the quality and content of tobacco prevention and cessation electronic games. This study presents the systematic development of a coding instrument to measure the quality, use of theory, and health communication strategies of tobacco cessation and prevention electronic games. Using previous research and expert review, a content analysis coding instrument measuring 67 characteristics was developed with three overarching categories: type and quality of games, theory and approach, and type and format of messages. Two trained coders applied the instrument to 88 games on four platforms (personal computer, Nintendo DS, iPhone, and Android phone) to field test the instrument. Cohen's kappa for each item ranged from 0.66 to 1.00, with an average kappa value of 0.97. Future research can adapt this coding instrument to games addressing other health issues. In addition, the instrument questions can serve as a useful guide for evidence-based game development.

Development of a Coding Instrument to Assess the Quality and Content of Anti-Tobacco Video Games

PubMed Central

Alber, Julia M.; Watson, Anna M.; Barnett, Tracey E.; Mercado, Rebeccah

2015-01-01

Abstract Previous research has shown the use of electronic video games as an effective method for increasing content knowledge about the risks of drugs and alcohol use for adolescents. Although best practice suggests that theory, health communication strategies, and game appeal are important characteristics for developing games, no instruments are currently available to examine the quality and content of tobacco prevention and cessation electronic games. This study presents the systematic development of a coding instrument to measure the quality, use of theory, and health communication strategies of tobacco cessation and prevention electronic games. Using previous research and expert review, a content analysis coding instrument measuring 67 characteristics was developed with three overarching categories: type and quality of games, theory and approach, and type and format of messages. Two trained coders applied the instrument to 88 games on four platforms (personal computer, Nintendo DS, iPhone, and Android phone) to field test the instrument. Cohen's kappa for each item ranged from 0.66 to 1.00, with an average kappa value of 0.97. Future research can adapt this coding instrument to games addressing other health issues. In addition, the instrument questions can serve as a useful guide for evidence-based game development. PMID:26167842

Economic order quantity (EOQ) by game theory approach in probabilistic supply chain system under service level constraint for items with imperfect quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, R.

2018-03-01

In this paper, Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) of probabilistic two-level supply – chain system for items with imperfect quality has been analyzed under service level constraint. A firm applies an active service level constraint to avoid unpredictable shortage terms in the objective function. Mathematical analysis of optimal result is delivered using two equilibrium scheme concept in game theory approach. Stackelberg’s equilibrium for cooperative strategy and Stackelberg’s Equilibrium for noncooperative strategy. This is a new approach to game theory result in inventory system whether service level constraint is applied by a firm in his moves.

Learning Behavior and Achievement Analysis of a Digital Game-Based Learning Approach Integrating Mastery Learning Theory and Different Feedback Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Kai-Hsiang

2017-01-01

It is widely accepted that the digital game-based learning approach has the advantage of stimulating students' learning motivation, but simply using digital games in the classroom does not guarantee satisfactory learning achievement, especially in the case of the absence of a teacher. Integrating appropriate learning strategies into a game can…

Quantum 2-Player Gambling and Correlated Pay-Off

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witte, F. M. C.

2005-01-01

In recent years methods have been proposed to extend classical game theory into the quantum domain. In a previous publication the nature of several non-cummutative games was briefly analyzed. Here we give an analysis of the simplest non-commutative quantum game, which is a gambling game much like simple heads or tails. The quantum game displays strategies which, though non direct-product strategies, allow for correlations between the players pay-off.

GIS and Game Theory for Water Resource Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganjali, N.; Guney, C.

2017-11-01

In this study, aspects of Game theory and its application on water resources management combined with GIS techniques are detailed. First, each term is explained and the advantages and limitations of its aspect is discussed. Then, the nature of combinations between each pair and literature on the previous studies are given. Several cases were investigated and results were magnified in order to conclude with the applicability and combination of GIS- Game Theory- Water Resources Management. It is concluded that the game theory is used relatively in limited studies of water management fields such as cost/benefit allocation among users, water allocation among trans-boundary users in water resources, water quality management, groundwater management, analysis of water policies, fair allocation of water resources development cost and some other narrow fields. Also, Decision-making in environmental projects requires consideration of trade-offs between socio-political, environmental, and economic impacts and is often complicated by various stakeholder views. Most of the literature on water allocation and conflict problems uses traditional optimization models to identify the most efficient scheme while the Game Theory, as an optimization method, combined GIS are beneficial platforms for agent based models to be used in solving Water Resources Management problems in the further studies.

HackAttack: Game-Theoretic Analysis of Realistic Cyber Conflicts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferragut, Erik M; Brady, Andrew C; Brady, Ethan J

Game theory is appropriate for studying cyber conflict because it allows for an intelligent and goal-driven adversary. Applications of game theory have led to a number of results regarding optimal attack and defense strategies. However, the overwhelming majority of applications explore overly simplistic games, often ones in which each participant s actions are visible to every other participant. These simplifications strip away the fundamental properties of real cyber conflicts: probabilistic alerting, hidden actions, unknown opponent capabilities. In this paper, we demonstrate that it is possible to analyze a more realistic game, one in which different resources have different weaknesses, playersmore » have different exploits, and moves occur in secrecy, but they can be detected. Certainly, more advanced and complex games are possible, but the game presented here is more realistic than any other game we know of in the scientific literature. While optimal strategies can be found for simpler games using calculus, case-by-case analysis, or, for stochastic games, Q-learning, our more complex game is more naturally analyzed using the same methods used to study other complex games, such as checkers and chess. We define a simple evaluation function and employ multi-step searches to create strategies. We show that such scenarios can be analyzed, and find that in cases of extreme uncertainty, it is often better to ignore one s opponent s possible moves. Furthermore, we show that a simple evaluation function in a complex game can lead to interesting and nuanced strategies.« less

Behavioural studies of strategic thinking in games.

PubMed

Camerer, Colin F.

2003-05-01

Game theory is a mathematical language for describing strategic interactions, in which each player's choice affects the payoff of other players (where players can be genes, people, companies, nation-states, etc.). The impact of game theory in psychology has been limited by the lack of cognitive mechanisms underlying game-theoretic predictions. 'Behavioural game theory' is a recent approach linking game theory to cognitive science by adding cognitive details about 'social utility functions', theories of limits on iterated thinking, and statistical theories of how players learn and influence others. New directions include the effects of game descriptions on choice ('framing'), strategic heuristics, and mental representation. These ideas will help root game theory more deeply in cognitive science and extend the scope of both enterprises.

Practical example of game theory application for production route selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olender, M.; Krenczyk, D.

2017-08-01

The opportunity which opens before manufacturers on the dynamic market, especially before those from the sector of the small and medium-sized enterprises, is associated with the use of the virtual organizations concept. The planning stage of such organizations could be based on supporting decision-making tasks using the tools and formalisms taken from the game theory. In the paper the model of the virtual manufacturing network, along with the practical example of decision-making situation as two person game and the decision strategies with an analysis of calculation results are presented.

The (De-)evolution of Evolution Games: A Content Analysis of the Representation of Evolution Through Natural Selection in Digital Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leith, Alex P.; Ratan, Rabindra A.; Wohn, Donghee Yvette

2016-08-01

Given the diversity and complexity of education game mechanisms and topics, this article contributes to a theoretical understanding of how game mechanisms "map" to educational topics through inquiry-based learning. Namely, the article examines the presence of evolution through natural selection (ENS) in digital games. ENS is a fundamentally important and widely misunderstood theory. This analysis of ENS portrayal in digital games provides insight into the use of games in teaching ENS. Systematic database search results were coded for the three principles of ENS: phenotypic variation, differential fitness, and fitness heritability. Though thousands of games use the term evolution, few presented elements of evolution, and even fewer contained all principles of ENS. Games developed to specifically teach evolution were difficult to find through Web searches. These overall deficiencies in ENS games reflect the inherent incompatibility between game control elements and the automatic process of ENS.

Security Analysis of Smart Grid Cyber Physical Infrastructures Using Modeling and Game Theoretic Simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abercrombie, Robert K; Sheldon, Frederick T.

Cyber physical computing infrastructures typically consist of a number of sites are interconnected. Its operation critically depends both on cyber components and physical components. Both types of components are subject to attacks of different kinds and frequencies, which must be accounted for the initial provisioning and subsequent operation of the infrastructure via information security analysis. Information security analysis can be performed using game theory implemented in dynamic Agent Based Game Theoretic (ABGT) simulations. Such simulations can be verified with the results from game theory analysis and further used to explore larger scale, real world scenarios involving multiple attackers, defenders, andmore » information assets. We concentrated our analysis on the electric sector failure scenarios and impact analyses by the NESCOR Working Group Study, From the Section 5 electric sector representative failure scenarios; we extracted the four generic failure scenarios and grouped them into three specific threat categories (confidentiality, integrity, and availability) to the system. These specific failure scenarios serve as a demonstration of our simulation. The analysis using our ABGT simulation demonstrates how to model the electric sector functional domain using a set of rationalized game theoretic rules decomposed from the failure scenarios in terms of how those scenarios might impact the cyber physical infrastructure network with respect to CIA.« less

Epigenetic game theory and its application in plants. Comment on: ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuan-Ming; Zhang, Yinghao; Guo, Mingyue

2017-03-01

Wang's et al. article [1] is the first to integrate game theory (especially evolutionary game theory) with epigenetic modification of zygotic genomes. They described and assessed a modeling framework based on evolutionary game theory to quantify, how sperms and oocytes interact through epigenetic processes, to determine embryo development. They also studied the internal mechanisms for normal embryo development: 1) evolutionary interactions between DNA methylation of the paternal and maternal genomes, and 2) the application of game theory to formulate and quantify how different genes compete or cooperate to regulate embryogenesis through methylation. Although it is not very comprehensive and profound regarding game theory modeling, this article bridges the gap between evolutionary game theory and the epigenetic control of embryo development by powerful ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The epiGame framework includes four aspects: 1) characterizing how epigenetic game theory works by the strategy matrix, in which the pattern and relative magnitude of the methylation effects on embryogenesis, are described by the cooperation and competition mechanisms, 2) quantifying the game that the direction and degree of P-M interactions over embryo development can be explained by the sign and magnitude of interaction parameters in model (2), 3) modeling epigenetic interactions within the morula, especially for two coupled nonlinear ODEs, with explicit functions in model (4), which provide a good fit to the observed data for the two sexes (adjusted R2 = 0.956), and 4) revealing multifactorial interactions in embryogenesis from the coupled ODEs in model (2) to triplet ODEs in model (6). Clearly, this article extends game theory from evolutionary game theory to epigenetic game theory.

A Study of Driver's Route Choice Behavior Based on Evolutionary Game Theory

PubMed Central

Jiang, Xiaowei; Ji, Yanjie; Deng, Wei

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a route choice analytic method that embeds cumulative prospect theory in evolutionary game theory to analyze how the drivers adjust their route choice behaviors under the influence of the traffic information. A simulated network with two alternative routes and one variable message sign is built to illustrate the analytic method. We assume that the drivers in the transportation system are bounded rational, and the traffic information they receive is incomplete. An evolutionary game model is constructed to describe the evolutionary process of the drivers' route choice decision-making behaviors. Here we conclude that the traffic information plays an important role in the route choice behavior. The driver's route decision-making process develops towards different evolutionary stable states in accordance with different transportation situations. The analysis results also demonstrate that employing cumulative prospect theory and evolutionary game theory to study the driver's route choice behavior is effective. This analytic method provides an academic support and suggestion for the traffic guidance system, and may optimize the travel efficiency to a certain extent. PMID:25610455

A study of driver's route choice behavior based on evolutionary game theory.

PubMed

Jiang, Xiaowei; Ji, Yanjie; Du, Muqing; Deng, Wei

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a route choice analytic method that embeds cumulative prospect theory in evolutionary game theory to analyze how the drivers adjust their route choice behaviors under the influence of the traffic information. A simulated network with two alternative routes and one variable message sign is built to illustrate the analytic method. We assume that the drivers in the transportation system are bounded rational, and the traffic information they receive is incomplete. An evolutionary game model is constructed to describe the evolutionary process of the drivers' route choice decision-making behaviors. Here we conclude that the traffic information plays an important role in the route choice behavior. The driver's route decision-making process develops towards different evolutionary stable states in accordance with different transportation situations. The analysis results also demonstrate that employing cumulative prospect theory and evolutionary game theory to study the driver's route choice behavior is effective. This analytic method provides an academic support and suggestion for the traffic guidance system, and may optimize the travel efficiency to a certain extent.

A Monte-Carlo game theoretic approach for Multi-Criteria Decision Making under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madani, Kaveh; Lund, Jay R.

2011-05-01

Game theory provides a useful framework for studying Multi-Criteria Decision Making problems. This paper suggests modeling Multi-Criteria Decision Making problems as strategic games and solving them using non-cooperative game theory concepts. The suggested method can be used to prescribe non-dominated solutions and also can be used as a method to predict the outcome of a decision making problem. Non-cooperative stability definitions for solving the games allow consideration of non-cooperative behaviors, often neglected by other methods which assume perfect cooperation among decision makers. To deal with the uncertainty in input variables a Monte-Carlo Game Theory (MCGT) approach is suggested which maps the stochastic problem into many deterministic strategic games. The games are solved using non-cooperative stability definitions and the results include possible effects of uncertainty in input variables on outcomes. The method can handle multi-criteria multi-decision-maker problems with uncertainty. The suggested method does not require criteria weighting, developing a compound decision objective, and accurate quantitative (cardinal) information as it simplifies the decision analysis by solving problems based on qualitative (ordinal) information, reducing the computational burden substantially. The MCGT method is applied to analyze California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta problem. The suggested method provides insights, identifies non-dominated alternatives, and predicts likely decision outcomes.

Games Superheroes Play: Teaching Game Theory with Comic Book Favorites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Roark, Brian; Grant, William

2018-01-01

The valuable insights of game theory sometimes remain out of reach for students who are overwhelmed by the subject's complexity. Comic book applications of game theory, with superheroes as players, can facilitate enthusiasm and classroom interaction to enhance the learning of game theory. Drawing from content in superhero movies and books, the…

Studies in the Theory of Quantum Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Azhar

2005-03-01

Theory of quantum games is a new area of investigation that has gone through rapid development during the last few years. Initial motivation for playing games, in the quantum world, comes from the possibility of re-formulating quantum communication protocols, and algorithms, in terms of games between quantum and classical players. The possibility led to the view that quantum games have a potential to provide helpful insight into working of quantum algorithms, and even in finding new ones. This thesis analyzes and compares some interesting games when played classically and quantum mechanically. A large part of the thesis concerns investigations into a refinement notion of the Nash equilibrium concept. The refinement, called an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS), was originally introduced in 1970s by mathematical biologists to model an evolving population using techniques borrowed from game theory. Analysis is developed around a situation when quantization changes ESSs without affecting corresponding Nash equilibria. Effects of quantization on solution-concepts other than Nash equilibrium are presented and discussed. For this purpose the notions of value of coalition, backwards-induction outcome, and subgame-perfect outcome are selected. Repeated games are known to have different information structure than one-shot games. Investigation is presented into a possible way where quantization changes the outcome of a repeated game. Lastly, two new suggestions are put forward to play quantum versions of classical matrix games. The first one uses the association of De Broglie's waves, with travelling material objects, as a resource for playing a quantum game. The second suggestion concerns an EPR type setting exploiting directly the correlations in Bell's inequalities to play a bi-matrix game.

Access point selection game with mobile users using correlated equilibrium.

PubMed

Sohn, Insoo

2015-01-01

One of the most important issues in wireless local area network (WLAN) systems with multiple access points (APs) is the AP selection problem. Game theory is a mathematical tool used to analyze the interactions in multiplayer systems and has been applied to various problems in wireless networks. Correlated equilibrium (CE) is one of the powerful game theory solution concepts, which is more general than the Nash equilibrium for analyzing the interactions in multiplayer mixed strategy games. A game-theoretic formulation of the AP selection problem with mobile users is presented using a novel scheme based on a regret-based learning procedure. Through convergence analysis, we show that the joint actions based on the proposed algorithm achieve CE. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed algorithm is effective in a realistic WLAN environment with user mobility and achieves maximum system throughput based on the game-theoretic formulation.

Access Point Selection Game with Mobile Users Using Correlated Equilibrium

PubMed Central

Sohn, Insoo

2015-01-01

One of the most important issues in wireless local area network (WLAN) systems with multiple access points (APs) is the AP selection problem. Game theory is a mathematical tool used to analyze the interactions in multiplayer systems and has been applied to various problems in wireless networks. Correlated equilibrium (CE) is one of the powerful game theory solution concepts, which is more general than the Nash equilibrium for analyzing the interactions in multiplayer mixed strategy games. A game-theoretic formulation of the AP selection problem with mobile users is presented using a novel scheme based on a regret-based learning procedure. Through convergence analysis, we show that the joint actions based on the proposed algorithm achieve CE. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed algorithm is effective in a realistic WLAN environment with user mobility and achieves maximum system throughput based on the game-theoretic formulation. PMID:25785726

Quantum-Like Model for Decision Making Process in Two Players Game. A Non-Kolmogorovian Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asano, Masanari; Ohya, Masanori; Khrennikov, Andrei

2011-03-01

In experiments of games, players frequently make choices which are regarded as irrational in game theory. In papers of Khrennikov (Information Dynamics in Cognitive, Psychological and Anomalous Phenomena. Fundamental Theories of Physics, Kluwer Academic, Norwell, 2004; Fuzzy Sets Syst. 155:4-17, 2005; Biosystems 84:225-241, 2006; Found. Phys. 35(10):1655-1693, 2005; in QP-PQ Quantum Probability and White Noise Analysis, vol. XXIV, pp. 105-117, 2009), it was pointed out that statistics collected in such the experiments have "quantum-like" properties, which can not be explained in classical probability theory. In this paper, we design a simple quantum-like model describing a decision-making process in a two-players game and try to explain a mechanism of the irrational behavior of players. Finally we discuss a mathematical frame of non-Kolmogorovian system in terms of liftings (Accardi and Ohya, in Appl. Math. Optim. 39:33-59, 1999).

Review of game theory applications for situation awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blasch, Erik; Shen, Dan; Pham, Khanh D.; Chen, Genshe

2015-05-01

Game theoretical methods have been used for spectral awareness, space situational awareness (SSA), cyber situational awareness (CSA), and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance situation awareness (ISA). Each of these cases, awareness is supported by sensor estimation for assessment and the situation is determined from the actions of multiple players. Game theory assumes rational actors in a defined scenario; however, variations in social, cultural and behavioral factors include the dynamic nature of the context. In a dynamic data-driven application system (DDDAS), modeling must include both the measurements but also how models are used by different actors with different priorities. In this paper, we highlight the applications of game theory by reviewing the literature to determine the current state of the art and future needs. Future developments would include building towards knowledge awareness with information technology (e.g., data aggregation, access, indexing); multiscale analysis (e.g., space, time, and frequency), and software methods (e.g., architectures, cloud computing, protocols).

Doves and hawks in economics revisited: An evolutionary quantum game theory based analysis of financial crises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanauske, Matthias; Kunz, Jennifer; Bernius, Steffen; König, Wolfgang

2010-11-01

The last financial and economic crisis demonstrated the dysfunctional long-term effects of aggressive behaviour in financial markets. Yet, evolutionary game theory predicts that under the condition of strategic dependence a certain degree of aggressive behaviour remains within a given population of agents. However, as a consequence of the financial crisis, it would be desirable to change the “rules of the game” in a way that prevents the occurrence of any aggressive behaviour and thereby also the danger of market crashes. The paper picks up this aspect. Through the extension of the well-known hawk-dove game by a quantum approach, we can show that dependent on entanglement, evolutionary stable strategies also can emerge, which are not predicted by the classical evolutionary game theory and where the total economic population uses a non-aggressive quantum strategy.

Improving Operational Wargaming: Its All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a War

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-26

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited Improving Operational Wargaming: It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a War A...Improving Operational Wargaming: It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a War Sb. GRANT NUMBER Sc. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Sd. PROJECT...theory-including game element analysis and wargame pathologies-provides an excellent rubric for creating and evaluating wargames and wargaming

The game theory in thoracic surgery: from the intuitions of Luca Pacioli to the operating rooms management.

PubMed

Ciocci, Argante; Viti, Andrea; Terzi, Alberto; Bertolaccini, Luca

2015-11-01

Game theory is a formal way to analyze the interactions among groups of subjects who behave each other. It has historically been of great interest in the economic fields in which decisions are made in a competitive environment. Game theory has fascinating potential if applied in the medical science. Few papers have been written about the application of game theory in surgery. The majority of scenarios of game theory in surgery fall into two main groups: cooperative and no cooperative games.

The game theory in thoracic surgery: from the intuitions of Luca Pacioli to the operating rooms management

PubMed Central

Ciocci, Argante; Viti, Andrea; Terzi, Alberto

2015-01-01

Game theory is a formal way to analyze the interactions among groups of subjects who behave each other. It has historically been of great interest in the economic fields in which decisions are made in a competitive environment. Game theory has fascinating potential if applied in the medical science. Few papers have been written about the application of game theory in surgery. The majority of scenarios of game theory in surgery fall into two main groups: cooperative and no cooperative games. PMID:26716049

Game Theory Meets Wireless Sensor Networks Security Requirements and Threats Mitigation: A Survey.

PubMed

Abdalzaher, Mohamed S; Seddik, Karim; Elsabrouty, Maha; Muta, Osamu; Furukawa, Hiroshi; Abdel-Rahman, Adel

2016-06-29

We present a study of using game theory for protecting wireless sensor networks (WSNs) from selfish behavior or malicious nodes. Due to scalability, low complexity and disseminated nature of WSNs, malicious attacks can be modeled effectively using game theory. In this study, we survey the different game-theoretic defense strategies for WSNs. We present a taxonomy of the game theory approaches based on the nature of the attack, whether it is caused by an external attacker or it is the result of an internal node acting selfishly or maliciously. We also present a general trust model using game theory for decision making. We, finally, identify the significant role of evolutionary games for WSNs security against intelligent attacks; then, we list several prospect applications of game theory to enhance the data trustworthiness and node cooperation in different WSNs.

A Practice-Based Analysis of an Online Strategy Game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milolidakis, Giannis; Kimble, Chris; Akoumianakis, Demosthenes

In this paper, we will analyze a massively multiplayer online game in an attempt to identify the elements of practice that enable social interaction and cooperation within the game’s virtual world. Communities of Practice and Activity Theory offer the theoretical lens for identifying and understanding what constitutes practice within the community and how such practice is manifest and transmitted during game play. Our analysis suggests that in contrast to prevalent perceptions of practice as being textually mediated, in virtual settings it is framed as much in social interactions as in processes, artifacts and the tools constituting the ‘linguistic’ domain of the game or the practice the gaming community is about.

Designing Serious Computer Games for People With Moderate and Advanced Dementia: Interdisciplinary Theory-Driven Pilot Study.

PubMed

Tziraki, Chariklia; Berenbaum, Rakel; Gross, Daniel; Abikhzer, Judith; Ben-David, Boaz M

2017-07-31

The field of serious games for people with dementia (PwD) is mostly driven by game-design principals typically applied to games created by and for younger individuals. Little has been done developing serious games to help PwD maintain cognition and to support functionality. We aimed to create a theory-based serious game for PwD, with input from a multi-disciplinary team familiar with aging, dementia, and gaming theory, as well as direct input from end users (the iterative process). Targeting enhanced self-efficacy in daily activities, the goal was to generate a game that is acceptable, accessible and engaging for PwD. The theory-driven game development was based on the following learning theories: learning in context, errorless learning, building on capacities, and acknowledging biological changes-all with the aim to boost self-efficacy. The iterative participatory process was used for game screen development with input of 34 PwD and 14 healthy community dwelling older adults, aged over 65 years. Development of game screens was informed by the bio-psychological aging related disabilities (ie, motor, visual, and perception) as well as remaining neuropsychological capacities (ie, implicit memory) of PwD. At the conclusion of the iterative development process, a prototype game with 39 screens was used for a pilot study with 24 PwD and 14 healthy community dwelling older adults. The game was played twice weekly for 10 weeks. Quantitative analysis showed that the average speed of successful screen completion was significantly longer for PwD compared with healthy older adults. Both PwD and controls showed an equivalent linear increase in the speed for task completion with practice by the third session (P<.02). Most important, the rate of improved processing speed with practice was not statistically different between PwD and controls. This may imply that some form of learning occurred for PwD at a nonsignificantly different rate than for controls. Qualitative results indicate that PwD found the game engaging and fun. Healthy older adults found the game too easy. Increase in self-reported self-efficacy was documented with PwD only. Our study demonstrated that PwD's speed improved with practice at the same rate as healthy older adults. This implies that when tasks are designed to match PwD's abilities, learning ensues. In addition, this pilot study of a serious game, designed for PwD, was accessible, acceptable, and enjoyable for end users. Games designed based on learning theories and input of end users and a multi-disciplinary team familiar with dementia and aging may have the potential of maintaining capacity and improving functionality of PwD. A larger longer study is needed to confirm our findings and evaluate the use of these games in assessing cognitive status and functionality. ©Chariklia Tziraki, Rakel Berenbaum, Daniel Gross, Judith Abikhzer, Boaz M Ben-David. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (http://games.jmir.org), 31.07.2017.

Conflict and Gaming in Instruction and Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kowitz, Gerald T.; Smith, Jay C.

1989-01-01

Discussion of instruction and training to introduce new ideas and to improve performance focuses on the presence of conflict and the theory of games. Topics discussed include learner participation; Theory X; Theory Y; and Theory Z; and game rules, including control, scoring, changing rules, and ending the game. (25 references) (LRW)

Defending Against Advanced Persistent Threats Using Game-Theory.

PubMed

Rass, Stefan; König, Sandra; Schauer, Stefan

2017-01-01

Advanced persistent threats (APT) combine a variety of different attack forms ranging from social engineering to technical exploits. The diversity and usual stealthiness of APT turns them into a central problem of contemporary practical system security, since information on attacks, the current system status or the attacker's incentives is often vague, uncertain and in many cases even unavailable. Game theory is a natural approach to model the conflict between the attacker and the defender, and this work investigates a generalized class of matrix games as a risk mitigation tool for an advanced persistent threat (APT) defense. Unlike standard game and decision theory, our model is tailored to capture and handle the full uncertainty that is immanent to APTs, such as disagreement among qualitative expert risk assessments, unknown adversarial incentives and uncertainty about the current system state (in terms of how deeply the attacker may have penetrated into the system's protective shells already). Practically, game-theoretic APT models can be derived straightforwardly from topological vulnerability analysis, together with risk assessments as they are done in common risk management standards like the ISO 31000 family. Theoretically, these models come with different properties than classical game theoretic models, whose technical solution presented in this work may be of independent interest.

Re-Exploring Game-Assisted Learning Research: The Perspective of Learning Theoretical Bases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Wen-Hsiung; Chiou, Wen-Bin; Kao, Hao-Yun; Hu, Chung-Hsing Alex; Huang, Sih-Han

2012-01-01

Previous literature reviews or meta-analysis based studies on game-assisted learning have provided important results, but few studies have considered the importance of learning theory, and coverage of papers after 2007 is scant. This study presents a systematic review of the literature using a meta-analysis approach to provide a more comprehensive…

Learning "in" or "with" Games? Quality Criteria for Digital Learning Games from the Perspectives of Learning, Emotion, and Motivation Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hense, Jan; Mandl, Heinz

2012-01-01

This conceptual paper aims to clarify the theoretical underpinnings of game based learning (GBL) and learning with digital learning games (DLGs). To do so, it analyses learning of game related skills and contents, which occurs constantly during playing conventional entertainment games, from three perspectives: learning theory, emotion theory, and…

Game Theory Meets Wireless Sensor Networks Security Requirements and Threats Mitigation: A Survey

PubMed Central

Abdalzaher, Mohamed S.; Seddik, Karim; Elsabrouty, Maha; Muta, Osamu; Furukawa, Hiroshi; Abdel-Rahman, Adel

2016-01-01

We present a study of using game theory for protecting wireless sensor networks (WSNs) from selfish behavior or malicious nodes. Due to scalability, low complexity and disseminated nature of WSNs, malicious attacks can be modeled effectively using game theory. In this study, we survey the different game-theoretic defense strategies for WSNs. We present a taxonomy of the game theory approaches based on the nature of the attack, whether it is caused by an external attacker or it is the result of an internal node acting selfishly or maliciously. We also present a general trust model using game theory for decision making. We, finally, identify the significant role of evolutionary games for WSNs security against intelligent attacks; then, we list several prospect applications of game theory to enhance the data trustworthiness and node cooperation in different WSNs. PMID:27367700

Online gaming dependency: a preliminary study in China.

PubMed

Peng, Wei; Liu, Ming

2010-06-01

Based on theories and previous studies on problematic Internet use, we propose a model to better understand the contributors to and consequences of online gaming dependency. A preliminary study was conducted through a survey of online gamers in China. The results of path analysis found that maladaptive cognitions, shyness, and depression are positively related to online gaming dependency. Online gaming dependency was also positively related to different types of negative life outcomes. The findings of this study have implications for the prevention and treatment of addictive online gaming.

Micro-economic analysis of the physical constrained markets: game theory application to competitive electricity markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bompard, E.; Ma, Y. C.; Ragazzi, E.

2006-03-01

Competition has been introduced in the electricity markets with the goal of reducing prices and improving efficiency. The basic idea which stays behind this choice is that, in competitive markets, a greater quantity of the good is exchanged at a lower price, leading to higher market efficiency. Electricity markets are pretty different from other commodities mainly due to the physical constraints related to the network structure that may impact the market performance. The network structure of the system on which the economic transactions need to be undertaken poses strict physical and operational constraints. Strategic interactions among producers that game the market with the objective of maximizing their producer surplus must be taken into account when modeling competitive electricity markets. The physical constraints, specific of the electricity markets, provide additional opportunity of gaming to the market players. Game theory provides a tool to model such a context. This paper discussed the application of game theory to physical constrained electricity markets with the goal of providing tools for assessing the market performance and pinpointing the critical network constraints that may impact the market efficiency. The basic models of game theory specifically designed to represent the electricity markets will be presented. IEEE30 bus test system of the constrained electricity market will be discussed to show the network impacts on the market performances in presence of strategic bidding behavior of the producers.

Hypergame theory applied to cyber attack and defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

House, James Thomas; Cybenko, George

2010-04-01

This work concerns cyber attack and defense in the context of game theory--specifically hypergame theory. Hypergame theory extends classical game theory with the ability to deal with differences in players' expertise, differences in their understanding of game rules, misperceptions, and so forth. Each of these different sub-scenarios, or subgames, is associated with a probability--representing the likelihood that the given subgame is truly "in play" at a given moment. In order to form an optimal attack or defense policy, these probabilities must be learned if they're not known a-priori. We present hidden Markov model and maximum entropy approaches for accurately learning these probabilities through multiple iterations of both normal and modified game play. We also give a widely-applicable approach for the analysis of cases where an opponent is aware that he is being studied, and intentionally plays to spoil the process of learning and thereby obfuscate his attributes. These are considered in the context of a generic, abstract cyber attack example. We demonstrate that machine learning efficacy can be heavily dependent on the goals and styles of participant behavior. To this end detailed simulation results under various combinations of attacker and defender behaviors are presented and analyzed.

Colonel Blotto Games and Lancaster's Equations: A Novel Military Modeling Combination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Andrew J.; Hester, Patrick T.

2012-01-01

Military strategists face a difficult task when engaged in a battle against an adversarial force. They have to predict both what tactics their opponent will employ and the outcomes of any resultant conflicts in order to make the best decision about their actions. Game theory has been the dominant technique used by analysts to investigate the possible actions that an enemy will employ. Traditional game theory can be augmented by use of Lanchester equations, a set of differential equations used to determine the outcome of a conflict. This paper demonstrates a novel combination of game theory and Lanchester equations using Colonel Blotto games. Colonel Blotto games, which are one of the oldest applications of game theory to the military domain, look at the allocation of troops and resources when fighting across multiple areas of operation. This paper demonstrates that employing Lanchester equations within a game overcomes some of practical problems faced when applying game theory.

A game theory analysis of green infrastructure stormwater management policies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

William, Reshmina; Garg, Jugal; Stillwell, Ashlynn S.

2017-09-01

Green stormwater infrastructure has been demonstrated as an innovative water resources management approach that addresses multiple challenges facing urban environments. However, there is little consensus on what policy strategies can be used to best incentivize green infrastructure adoption by private landowners. Game theory, an analysis framework that has historically been under-utilized within the context of stormwater management, is uniquely suited to address this policy question. We used a cooperative game theory framework to investigate the potential impacts of different policy strategies used to incentivize green infrastructure installation. The results indicate that municipal regulation leads to the greatest reduction in pollutant loading. However, the choice of the "best" regulatory approach will depend on a variety of different factors including politics and financial considerations. Large, downstream agents have a disproportionate share of bargaining power. Results also reveal that policy impacts are highly dependent on agents' spatial position within the stormwater network, leading to important questions of social equity and environmental justice.

Games network and application to PAs system.

PubMed

Chettaoui, C; Delaplace, F; Manceny, M; Malo, M

2007-02-01

In this article, we present a game theory based framework, named games network, for modeling biological interactions. After introducing the theory, we more precisely describe the methodology to model biological interactions. Then we apply it to the plasminogen activator system (PAs) which is a signal transduction pathway involved in cancer cell migration. The games network theory extends game theory by including the locality of interactions. Each game in a games network represents local interactions between biological agents. The PAs system is implicated in cytoskeleton modifications via regulation of actin and microtubules, which in turn favors cell migration. The games network model has enabled us a better understanding of the regulation involved in the PAs system.

Designing Serious Computer Games for People With Moderate and Advanced Dementia: Interdisciplinary Theory-Driven Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Gross, Daniel; Abikhzer, Judith

2017-01-01

Background The field of serious games for people with dementia (PwD) is mostly driven by game-design principals typically applied to games created by and for younger individuals. Little has been done developing serious games to help PwD maintain cognition and to support functionality. Objectives We aimed to create a theory-based serious game for PwD, with input from a multi-disciplinary team familiar with aging, dementia, and gaming theory, as well as direct input from end users (the iterative process). Targeting enhanced self-efficacy in daily activities, the goal was to generate a game that is acceptable, accessible and engaging for PwD. Methods The theory-driven game development was based on the following learning theories: learning in context, errorless learning, building on capacities, and acknowledging biological changes—all with the aim to boost self-efficacy. The iterative participatory process was used for game screen development with input of 34 PwD and 14 healthy community dwelling older adults, aged over 65 years. Development of game screens was informed by the bio-psychological aging related disabilities (ie, motor, visual, and perception) as well as remaining neuropsychological capacities (ie, implicit memory) of PwD. At the conclusion of the iterative development process, a prototype game with 39 screens was used for a pilot study with 24 PwD and 14 healthy community dwelling older adults. The game was played twice weekly for 10 weeks. Results Quantitative analysis showed that the average speed of successful screen completion was significantly longer for PwD compared with healthy older adults. Both PwD and controls showed an equivalent linear increase in the speed for task completion with practice by the third session (P<.02). Most important, the rate of improved processing speed with practice was not statistically different between PwD and controls. This may imply that some form of learning occurred for PwD at a nonsignificantly different rate than for controls. Qualitative results indicate that PwD found the game engaging and fun. Healthy older adults found the game too easy. Increase in self-reported self-efficacy was documented with PwD only. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that PwD’s speed improved with practice at the same rate as healthy older adults. This implies that when tasks are designed to match PwD’s abilities, learning ensues. In addition, this pilot study of a serious game, designed for PwD, was accessible, acceptable, and enjoyable for end users. Games designed based on learning theories and input of end users and a multi-disciplinary team familiar with dementia and aging may have the potential of maintaining capacity and improving functionality of PwD. A larger longer study is needed to confirm our findings and evaluate the use of these games in assessing cognitive status and functionality. PMID:28760730

An empirical analysis of online gamers' perceptions of game items: modified theory of consumption values approach.

PubMed

Park, Bong-Won; Lee, Kun Chang

2011-01-01

The aims of this article are (1) to propose a modified theory of consumption values (MTCV) for investigation of online gamer perceptions of the value of purchasable game items and (2) to apply the developed MTCV to multiple game genres and player age groups. To address these aims, 327 valid questionnaires were obtained and analyzed. The original theory of consumption values (TCV) was modified to apply to the specific characteristics of online games. The original TCV specifies five types of consumption values: functional value, social value, emotional value, conditional value, and epistemic value. After revising the TCV to apply to the examination of online games, we proposed that the MTCV be composed of character competency value, enjoyment value, visual authority value, and monetary value. The validity of the MTCV was proven by statistically analyzing the responses provided by the 327 valid questionnaires. To examine the second aim, experiments were conducted to examine the MTCV in three online game genres-massive multiplayer online role-playing games, first-person shooters games, and casual games. The second aim was also studied via questionnaires that examined the ages of online gamers. It was determined that massive multiplayer online role-playing games players regard visual authority value and monetary value as more important than do casual gamers. It was also determined that younger gamers tend to be more interested in visual authority, whereas older gamers tend to be more interested in character competency. This research provides a foundation for future studies to extend the MTCV to consider other user factors, such as cultural effects.

Cooperative Trust Games

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

the more widely recognized competitive (non-cooperative) game theory. Cooperative game theory focuses on what groups of self-interested agents can...provides immediate justification for using non-cooperative game theory as the basis for modeling the purely competitive agents. 2.4. Superadditive...the competitive and altruistic contributions of the subset team. Definition: Given a payoff function ( ) in a subset team game , the total marginal

Nonlinear Signal Processing and Team Differential Games.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-01

w can be viewed as a control variable belonging to a mythical mini- mizing third party, such that (33) is a Nash strategy. It can be shown that the...Morgenstern [2] the discrete game analysis embodied most of the prin- ciples of the game theory yet recognized as important. But it is not until the...more common variety. Nor can it be treated as a second phase of a bargaining game with coalitions already formed, such as studied by Von Netman and

Curriculum for the Twenty-First Century: Recent Advances in Economic Theory and Undergraduate Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, William D.

2011-01-01

Undergraduate economics lags behind cutting-edge economic theory. The author briefly reviews six related advances that profoundly extend and deepen economic analysis: game-theoretic modeling, collective-action problems, information economics and contracting, social preference theory, conceptualizing rationality, and institutional theory. He offers…

"Martian Boneyards": Sustained Scientific Inquiry in a Social Digital Game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asbell-Clarke, Jordis

Social digital gaming is an explosive phenomenon where youth and adults are engaged in inquiry for the sake of fun. The complexity of learning evidenced in social digital games is attracting the attention of educators. Martian Boneyards is a proof-of-concept game designed to study how a community of voluntary gamers can be enticed to engage in sustained, high-quality scientific inquiry. Science educators and game designers worked together to create an educational game with the polish and intrigue of a professional-level game, striving to attract a new audience to scientific inquiry. Martian Boneyards took place in the high-definition, massively multiplayer online environment, Blue Mars, where players spent an average of 30 hours in the game over the 4-month implementation period, with some exceeding 200 hours. Most of the players' time was spent in scientific inquiry activities and about 30% of the players' in-game interactions were in the analysis and theory-building phases of inquiry. Female players conducted most of the inquiry, in particular analysis and theory building. The quality of scientific inquiry processes, which included extensive information gathering by players, and the resulting content were judged to be very good by a team of independent scientists. This research suggests that a compelling storyline, a highly aesthetic environment, and the emergent social bonds among players and between players and the characters played by designers were all responsible for sustaining high quality inquiry among gamers in this free-choice experience. The gaming environment developed for Martian Boneyards is seen as an evolving ecosystem with interactions among design, players' activity, and players' progress.

Why Darwin would have loved evolutionary game theory

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Humans have marvelled at the fit of form and function, the way organisms' traits seem remarkably suited to their lifestyles and ecologies. While natural selection provides the scientific basis for the fit of form and function, Darwin found certain adaptations vexing or particularly intriguing: sex ratios, sexual selection and altruism. The logic behind these adaptations resides in frequency-dependent selection where the value of a given heritable phenotype (i.e. strategy) to an individual depends upon the strategies of others. Game theory is a branch of mathematics that is uniquely suited to solving such puzzles. While game theoretic thinking enters into Darwin's arguments and those of evolutionists through much of the twentieth century, the tools of evolutionary game theory were not available to Darwin or most evolutionists until the 1970s, and its full scope has only unfolded in the last three decades. As a consequence, game theory is applied and appreciated rather spottily. Game theory not only applies to matrix games and social games, it also applies to speciation, macroevolution and perhaps even to cancer. I assert that life and natural selection are a game, and that game theory is the appropriate logic for framing and understanding adaptations. Its scope can include behaviours within species, state-dependent strategies (such as male, female and so much more), speciation and coevolution, and expands beyond microevolution to macroevolution. Game theory clarifies aspects of ecological and evolutionary stability in ways useful to understanding eco-evolutionary dynamics, niche construction and ecosystem engineering. In short, I would like to think that Darwin would have found game theory uniquely useful for his theory of natural selection. Let us see why this is so. PMID:27605503

Why Darwin would have loved evolutionary game theory.

PubMed

Brown, Joel S

2016-09-14

Humans have marvelled at the fit of form and function, the way organisms' traits seem remarkably suited to their lifestyles and ecologies. While natural selection provides the scientific basis for the fit of form and function, Darwin found certain adaptations vexing or particularly intriguing: sex ratios, sexual selection and altruism. The logic behind these adaptations resides in frequency-dependent selection where the value of a given heritable phenotype (i.e. strategy) to an individual depends upon the strategies of others. Game theory is a branch of mathematics that is uniquely suited to solving such puzzles. While game theoretic thinking enters into Darwin's arguments and those of evolutionists through much of the twentieth century, the tools of evolutionary game theory were not available to Darwin or most evolutionists until the 1970s, and its full scope has only unfolded in the last three decades. As a consequence, game theory is applied and appreciated rather spottily. Game theory not only applies to matrix games and social games, it also applies to speciation, macroevolution and perhaps even to cancer. I assert that life and natural selection are a game, and that game theory is the appropriate logic for framing and understanding adaptations. Its scope can include behaviours within species, state-dependent strategies (such as male, female and so much more), speciation and coevolution, and expands beyond microevolution to macroevolution. Game theory clarifies aspects of ecological and evolutionary stability in ways useful to understanding eco-evolutionary dynamics, niche construction and ecosystem engineering. In short, I would like to think that Darwin would have found game theory uniquely useful for his theory of natural selection. Let us see why this is so. © 2016 The Author(s).

LECTURES ON GAME THEORY, MARKOV CHAINS, AND RELATED TOPICS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thompson, G L

1958-03-01

Notes on nine lectures delivered at Sandin Corporation in August 1957 are given. Part one contains the manuscript of a paper concerning a judging problem. Part two is concerned with finite Markov-chain theory amd discusses regular Markov chains, absorbing Markov chains, the classification of states, application to the Leontief input-output model, and semimartingales. Part three contains notes on game theory and covers matrix games, the effect of psychological attitudes on the outcomes of games, extensive games, amd matrix theory applied to mathematical economics. (auth)

Applications and extensions of epigenetic game theory. Comment on: ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yaqun

2017-03-01

The authors are to be congratulated for a thought-provoking article [1], which reviews the epigenetic game theory (epiGame) that utilizes differential equations to study the epigenetic control of embryo development. It is a novel application of evolutionary game theory and provides biology researchers with useful methodologies to address scientific questions related to biological coordination of competition and cooperation.

Game theory based models to analyze water conflicts in the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China.

PubMed

Wei, Shouke; Yang, Hong; Abbaspour, Karim; Mousavi, Jamshid; Gnauck, Albrecht

2010-04-01

This study applied game theory based models to analyze and solve water conflicts concerning water allocation and nitrogen reduction in the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China. The game simulation comprised two levels, including one main game with five players and four sub-games with each containing three sub-players. We used statistical and econometric regression methods to formulate payoff functions of the players, economic valuation methods (EVMs) to transform non-monetary value into economic one, cost-benefit Analysis (CBA) to compare the game outcomes, and scenario analysis to investigate the future uncertainties. The validity of game simulation was evaluated by comparing predictions with observations. The main results proved that cooperation would make the players collectively better off, though some player would face losses. However, players were not willing to cooperate, which would result in a prisoners' dilemma. Scenarios simulation results displayed that players in water scare area could not solve its severe water deficit problem without cooperation with other players even under an optimistic scenario, while the uncertainty of cooperation would come from the main polluters. The results suggest a need to design a mechanism to reduce the risk of losses of those players by a side payment, which provides them with economic incentives to cooperate. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision-Making in National Security Affairs: Toward a Typology.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-07

decisional model, and thus provide the necessary linkage between observation and application of theory in explaining and/or predicting policy decisions . r...examines theories and models of decision -making processes from an interdisciplinary perspective, with a view toward deriving means by which the behavior of...processes, game theory , linear programming, network and graph theory , time series analysis, and the like. The discipline of decision analysis is a relatively

Game and Information Theory Analysis of Electronic Counter Measures in Pursuit-Evasion Games

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Griffin, Christopher H

Two-player Pursuit-Evasion games in the literature typically either assume both players have perfect knowledge of the opponent s positions or use primitive sensing models. This unrealistically skews the problem in favor of the pursuer who need only maintain a faster velocity at all turning radii. In real life, an evader usually escapes when the pursuer no longer knows the evader s position. In our previous work, we modeled pursuit-evasion without perfect information as a two-player bi-matrix game by using a realistic sensor model and information theory to compute game theoretic payoff matrices. That game has a saddle point when themore » evader uses strategies that exploit sensor limitations, while the pursuer relies on strategies that ignore the sensing limitations. In this paper, we consider for the first time the effect of many types of electronic counter measures (ECM) on pursuit evasion games. The evader s decision to initiate its ECM is modeled as a function of the distance between the players. Simulations show how to find optimal strategies for ECM use when initial conditions are known. We also discuss the effectiveness of different ECM technologies in pursuit-evasion games.« less

"I can be happy even when I lose the game": the influence of chronic regulatory focus and primed self-construal on exergamers' mood.

PubMed

Jin, Seung-A Annie

2010-08-01

This research explored the effects of priming interdependent self-construals (collective self ) versus independent self-construals (private self ) on exergame players' mood in response to negative performance feedback. An experiment was conducted to test the interaction effects of self-construal priming as a situational factor and game players' chronic regulatory focus as an individual difference factor. To this end, the author leveraged a video-game console (Wii) and an exergame (Dance Dance Revolution) in a controlled, randomized 2 x 2 (experimental priming: interdependent self-construal vs. independent self-construal x game players' chronic promotion regulatory focus: low vs. high) between-subjects factorial design experiment (N = 58). The results of a two-way analysis of variance demonstrated the proposed interaction effect between primed self-construal and game players' chronic regulatory focus on the game players' mood in response to negative performance. The theoretical mechanism underlying the two-way interaction is explicated by regulatory focus and the primed self-construals is explicated by regulatory focus theory and two-basket theory. Practical implications for game developers and theoretical contributions to video-game research are discussed.

Cycle frequency in standard Rock-Paper-Scissors games: Evidence from experimental economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Bin; Zhou, Hai-Jun; Wang, Zhijian

2013-10-01

The Rock-Paper-Scissors (RPS) game is a widely used model system in game theory. Evolutionary game theory predicts the existence of persistent cycles in the evolutionary trajectories of the RPS game, but experimental evidence has remained to be rather weak. In this work, we performed laboratory experiments on the RPS game and analyzed the social-state evolutionary trajectories of twelve populations of N=6 players. We found strong evidence supporting the existence of persistent cycles. The mean cycling frequency was measured to be 0.029±0.009 period per experimental round. Our experimental observations can be quantitatively explained by a simple non-equilibrium model, namely the discrete-time logit dynamical process with a noise parameter. Our work therefore favors the evolutionary game theory over the classical game theory for describing the dynamical behavior of the RPS game.

Defending Against Advanced Persistent Threats Using Game-Theory

PubMed Central

König, Sandra; Schauer, Stefan

2017-01-01

Advanced persistent threats (APT) combine a variety of different attack forms ranging from social engineering to technical exploits. The diversity and usual stealthiness of APT turns them into a central problem of contemporary practical system security, since information on attacks, the current system status or the attacker’s incentives is often vague, uncertain and in many cases even unavailable. Game theory is a natural approach to model the conflict between the attacker and the defender, and this work investigates a generalized class of matrix games as a risk mitigation tool for an advanced persistent threat (APT) defense. Unlike standard game and decision theory, our model is tailored to capture and handle the full uncertainty that is immanent to APTs, such as disagreement among qualitative expert risk assessments, unknown adversarial incentives and uncertainty about the current system state (in terms of how deeply the attacker may have penetrated into the system’s protective shells already). Practically, game-theoretic APT models can be derived straightforwardly from topological vulnerability analysis, together with risk assessments as they are done in common risk management standards like the ISO 31000 family. Theoretically, these models come with different properties than classical game theoretic models, whose technical solution presented in this work may be of independent interest. PMID:28045922

Making Decisions about an Educational Game, Simulation or Workshop: A 'Game Theory' Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cryer, Patricia

1988-01-01

Uses game theory to help practitioners make decisions about educational games, simulations, or workshops whose outcomes depend to some extent on chance. Highlights include principles for making decisions involving risk; elementary laws of probability; utility theory; and principles for making decisions involving uncertainty. (eight references)…

Game theory: applications for surgeons and the operating room environment.

PubMed

McFadden, David W; Tsai, Mitchell; Kadry, Bassam; Souba, Wiley W

2012-11-01

Game theory is an economic system of strategic behavior, often referred to as the "theory of social situations." Very little has been written in the medical literature about game theory or its applications, yet the practice of surgery and the operating room environment clearly involves multiple social situations with both cooperative and non-cooperative behaviors. A comprehensive review was performed of the medical literature on game theory and its medical applications. Definitive resources on the subject were also examined and applied to surgery and the operating room whenever possible. Applications of game theory and its proposed dilemmas abound in the practicing surgeon's world, especially in the operating room environment. The surgeon with a basic understanding of game theory principles is better prepared for understanding and navigating the complex Operating Room system and optimizing cooperative behaviors for the benefit all stakeholders. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Auction and Game Theory Based Recommendations for DOD Acquisitions

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-24

SPONSORED REPORT SERIES Auction and Game Theory Based Recommendations for DOD Acquisitions 24 March 2015 Justin Blott, 2d Lt; Nicholas...TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2015 to 00-00-2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Auction and Game Theory Based Recommendations for DOD Acquisitions 5a...Postgraduate School Abstract This paper synthesizes auction and game theory literature into specific military acquisition improvement

Learning in a game-based virtual environment: a comparative evaluation in higher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, Igor; Warmelink, Harald; Bekebrede, Geertje

2013-03-01

The authors define the requirements and a conceptual model for comparative evaluation research of simulation games and serious games (SGs) in a learning context. A first operationalisation of the model was used to comparatively evaluate a suite of 14 SGs on varying topics played between 2004 and 2009 in 13 institutes of higher education in the Netherlands. The questions in this research were: what is the perceived learning effectiveness of the games and what factors explain it? How can we comparatively evaluate games for learning? Data were gathered through pre- and post-game questionnaires among 1000 students, leading to 500 useful datasets and 230 complete datasets for analysis (factor analysis, scaling, t-test and correlation analysis) to give an explorative, structural model. The findings are discussed and a number of propositions for further research are formulated. The conclusion of the analysis is that the students' motivation and attitudes towards game-based learning before the game, their actual enjoyment, their efforts during the game and the quality of the facilitator/teacher are most strongly correlated with their learning satisfaction. The degree to which the experiences during the game were translated back into the underlying theories significantly determines the students' learning satisfaction. The quality of the virtual game environment did not matter so much. The authors reflect upon the general methodology used and offer suggestions for further research and development.

Game Theory, Decision Theory, and Social Choice Theory in the Context of a New Theory of Equity

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-01

Press of Harvard University. Sen , Amartya , 1977, "On Weights and Measures: Informational Constraints in Social Welfare Analysis," Econometrica, Vol...this requirement is a natural consequence of a setup that rules out cardinal utility, as Arrow (1978) and Sen (1977) have pointed out in different

Game Engagement Theory and Adult Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitton, Nicola

2011-01-01

One of the benefits of computer game-based learning is the ability of certain types of game to engage and motivate learners. However, theories of learning and engagement, particularly in the sphere of higher education, typically fail to consider gaming engagement theory. In this article, the author examines the principles of engagement from games…

Computer Game Theories for Designing Motivating Educational Software: A Survey Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ang, Chee Siang; Rao, G. S. V. Radha Krishna

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate computer game theories for educational software. We propose a framework for designing engaging educational games based on contemporary game studies which includes ludology and narratology. Ludology focuses on the study of computer games as play and game activities, while narratology revolves around the…

Correspondence between quantization schemes for two-player nonzero-sum games and CNOT complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijayakrishnan, V.; Balakrishnan, S.

2018-05-01

The well-known quantization schemes for two-player nonzero-sum games are Eisert-Wilkens-Lewenstein scheme and Marinatto-Weber scheme. In this work, we establish the connection between the two schemes from the perspective of quantum circuits. Further, we provide the correspondence between any game quantization schemes and the CNOT complexity, where CNOT complexity is up to the local unitary operations. While CNOT complexity is known to be useful in the analysis of universal quantum circuit, in this work, we find its applicability in quantum game theory.

Crowdsourced Formal Verification: A Business Case Analysis Toward a Human-Centered Business Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

literacycampaignmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ Compressed-State-of-Literacy-MC1.pdf Ryan , R. M., & Deci , E. L. (2000). Self - determination theory and the...crowd- sourced formal verification games provide intrinsic motivation. Ryan and Deci (2000) sum- marized three needs that drive the intrinsic motivation...competence, relatedness, and au- tonomy. Therefore, such games have to embrace the self - determination of the customers. Games, per se, can satisfy

An Application of Evolutionary Game Theory to Social Dilemmas: The Traveler's Dilemma and the Minimum Effort Coordination Game

PubMed Central

Iyer, Swami; Reyes, Joshua; Killingback, Timothy

2014-01-01

The Traveler's Dilemma game and the Minimum Effort Coordination game are two social dilemmas that have attracted considerable attention due to the fact that the predictions of classical game theory are at odds with the results found when the games are studied experimentally. Moreover, a direct application of deterministic evolutionary game theory, as embodied in the replicator dynamics, to these games does not explain the observed behavior. In this work, we formulate natural variants of these two games as smoothed continuous-strategy games. We study the evolutionary dynamics of these continuous-strategy games, both analytically and through agent-based simulations, and show that the behavior predicted theoretically is in accord with that observed experimentally. Thus, these variants of the Traveler's Dilemma and the Minimum Effort Coordination games provide a simple resolution of the paradoxical behavior associated with the original games. PMID:24709851

An application of evolutionary game theory to social dilemmas: the traveler's dilemma and the minimum effort coordination game.

PubMed

Iyer, Swami; Reyes, Joshua; Killingback, Timothy

2014-01-01

The Traveler's Dilemma game and the Minimum Effort Coordination game are two social dilemmas that have attracted considerable attention due to the fact that the predictions of classical game theory are at odds with the results found when the games are studied experimentally. Moreover, a direct application of deterministic evolutionary game theory, as embodied in the replicator dynamics, to these games does not explain the observed behavior. In this work, we formulate natural variants of these two games as smoothed continuous-strategy games. We study the evolutionary dynamics of these continuous-strategy games, both analytically and through agent-based simulations, and show that the behavior predicted theoretically is in accord with that observed experimentally. Thus, these variants of the Traveler's Dilemma and the Minimum Effort Coordination games provide a simple resolution of the paradoxical behavior associated with the original games.

Plant extractivism in light of game theory: a case study in northeastern Brazil.

PubMed

Silva, Rafael Rv; Gomes, Laura Jane; Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino

2015-02-23

Game theory enables the predictive study of the behavior of agents that recognize the mutual interdependence of their decisions and act rationally and strategically to maximize their own gains. In this paper, the extractivism of pequi (Caryocar coriaceum Wittm.) and fava d'anta (Dimorphandra gardneriana Tul.) in an area of common use of the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil is described as a model to illustrate a practical application of game theory in the interpretation of the phenomena analyzed in ethnobiological research. Field research was conducted in the Araripe-Apodi National Forest. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 55 informants recognized as knowledgeable and experienced in the extractivism of pequi and fava d'anta in the region. In the interviews, information that could contribute to the identification and understanding of the focal points of extractivism in the region was surveyed. Data were analyzed under an analytical/descriptive approach using the "content analysis" technique. There was a logic of competitive entrepreneurship around the commercial extractivism of pequi and fava d'anta in the region. Among the extractivists of pequi, one of the main collection rules refers to the prohibition of removing immature fruits by using sticks or shaking the branches. In the extractivism of fava d'anta, no specific rules have been established by collectors, but there is a predominant behavior of withdrawing all available fruits (pods) on a tree in a single visit. In an analysis guided by game theory, the collection decisions adopted by extractivists to maximize gain from the activity can be considered justifiable from the standpoint of economic rationality. The "game of extractivism" of pequi and fava d'anta operates under conditions similar to the "tragedy of the commons." In this game, the non-cooperative solution is converted to the Nash equilibrium. The approach used in this study contributed to the identification of strategies and solutions to problems arising from the extractivism of pequi and fava d'anta.

Analysis of Knowledge-Sharing Evolutionary Game in University Teacher Team

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huo, Mingkui

2013-01-01

The knowledge-sharing activity is a major drive force behind the progress and innovation of university teacher team. Based on the evolutionary game theory, this article analyzes the knowledge-sharing process model of this team, studies the influencing mechanism of various factors such as knowledge aggregate gap, incentive coefficient and risk…

Multi-objective game-theory models for conflict analysis in reservoir watershed management.

PubMed

Lee, Chih-Sheng

2012-05-01

This study focuses on the development of a multi-objective game-theory model (MOGM) for balancing economic and environmental concerns in reservoir watershed management and for assistance in decision. Game theory is used as an alternative tool for analyzing strategic interaction between economic development (land use and development) and environmental protection (water-quality protection and eutrophication control). Geographic information system is used to concisely illustrate and calculate the areas of various land use types. The MOGM methodology is illustrated in a case study of multi-objective watershed management in the Tseng-Wen reservoir, Taiwan. The innovation and advantages of MOGM can be seen in the results, which balance economic and environmental concerns in watershed management and which can be interpreted easily by decision makers. For comparison, the decision-making process using conventional multi-objective method to produce many alternatives was found to be more difficult. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combinatorial games with a pass: a dynamical systems approach.

PubMed

Morrison, Rebecca E; Friedman, Eric J; Landsberg, Adam S

2011-12-01

By treating combinatorial games as dynamical systems, we are able to address a longstanding open question in combinatorial game theory, namely, how the introduction of a "pass" move into a game affects its behavior. We consider two well known combinatorial games, 3-pile Nim and 3-row Chomp. In the case of Nim, we observe that the introduction of the pass dramatically alters the game's underlying structure, rendering it considerably more complex, while for Chomp, the pass move is found to have relatively minimal impact. We show how these results can be understood by recasting these games as dynamical systems describable by dynamical recursion relations. From these recursion relations, we are able to identify underlying structural connections between these "games with passes" and a recently introduced class of "generic (perturbed) games." This connection, together with a (non-rigorous) numerical stability analysis, allows one to understand and predict the effect of a pass on a game.

Asymmetric Evolutionary Games.

PubMed

McAvoy, Alex; Hauert, Christoph

2015-08-01

Evolutionary game theory is a powerful framework for studying evolution in populations of interacting individuals. A common assumption in evolutionary game theory is that interactions are symmetric, which means that the players are distinguished by only their strategies. In nature, however, the microscopic interactions between players are nearly always asymmetric due to environmental effects, differing baseline characteristics, and other possible sources of heterogeneity. To model these phenomena, we introduce into evolutionary game theory two broad classes of asymmetric interactions: ecological and genotypic. Ecological asymmetry results from variation in the environments of the players, while genotypic asymmetry is a consequence of the players having differing baseline genotypes. We develop a theory of these forms of asymmetry for games in structured populations and use the classical social dilemmas, the Prisoner's Dilemma and the Snowdrift Game, for illustrations. Interestingly, asymmetric games reveal essential differences between models of genetic evolution based on reproduction and models of cultural evolution based on imitation that are not apparent in symmetric games.

When Child Development Meets Economic Game Theory: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Investigating Social Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gummerum, Michaela; Hanoch, Yaniv; Keller, Monika

2008-01-01

Game theory has been one of the most prominent theories in the social sciences, influencing diverse academic disciplines such as anthropology, biology, economics, and political science. In recent years, economists have employed game theory to investigate behaviors relating to fairness, reciprocity, and trust. Surprisingly, this research has not…

Operation Exodus: The Massacre of 44 Philippine Police Commandos In Mamasapano Clash

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

strategic thinking, utilizing Game Theory and Multi-Attribute Decision Making; the combination of these two dynamic tools is used to evaluate their...thinking, utilizing Game Theory and Multi-Attribute Decision Making; the combination of these two dynamic tools is used to evaluate their potential...35 A. GAME THEORETIC APPROACH ......................................................36 B. APPLYING GAME THEORY TO OPLAN: EXODUS

SURVIVABILITY THROUGH OPTIMIZING RESILIENT MECHANISMS (STORM)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-01

STATEMENT Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. PA# 88ABW-2017-0894 Date Cleared: 07 Mar 2017 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Game ...quantitatively about cyber-attacks. Game theory is the branch of applied mathematics that formalizes strategic interaction among intelligent rational agents...mechanism based on game theory. This work has applied game theory to numerous cyber security problems: cloud security, cyber threat information sharing

Assessing Problematic Video Gaming Using the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Longitudinal Study of Dutch Young People

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haagsma, Maria C.; King, Daniel L.; Pieterse, Marcel E.; Peters, Oscar

2013-01-01

Although excessive video gaming has been linked to a range of psychological problems in young people, there have been few systematic attempts to conceptualize problem gaming using established psychological theory. The aim of this study was to examine problematic game use (PGU) using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A two-wave, six-month…

Game theory in epigenetic reprogramming. Comment on: ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Fei-Man; Chen, Pao-Yang

2017-03-01

Von Neumann and Morgenstern published the Theory of Games and Economic Behavior in 1944, describing game theory as a model in which intelligent rational decision-makers manage to find their best strategies in conflict, cooperative or other mutualistic relationships to acquire the greatest benefit [1]. This model was subsequently incorporated in ecology to simulate the ;fitness; of a species during natural selection, designated evolutionary game theory (EGT) [2]. Wang et al. proposed ;epiGame;, taking paternal and maternal genomes as ;intelligent; players that compete, cooperate or both during embryogenesis to maximize the fitness of the embryo [3]. They further extended game theory to an individual or single cell environment. During early zygote development, DNA methylation is reprogrammed such that the paternal genome is demethylated before the maternal genome. After the reset, the blastocyst is re-methylated during embryogenesis. At that time, the paternal and maternal genomes have a conflict of interest related to the expression of their own genes. The proposed epiGame models such interactive regulation between the parental genomes to reach a balance for embryo development (equation (2)).

What Information Theory Says about Bounded Rational Best Response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolpert, David H.

2005-01-01

Probability Collectives (PC) provides the information-theoretic extension of conventional full-rationality game theory to bounded rational games. Here an explicit solution to the equations giving the bounded rationality equilibrium of a game is presented. Then PC is used to investigate games in which the players use bounded rational best-response strategies. Next it is shown that in the continuum-time limit, bounded rational best response games result in a variant of the replicator dynamics of evolutionary game theory. It is then shown that for team (shared-payoff) games, this variant of replicator dynamics is identical to Newton-Raphson iterative optimization of the shared utility function.

Ecological theatre and the evolutionary game: how environmental and demographic factors determine payoffs in evolutionary games.

PubMed

Argasinski, K; Broom, M

2013-10-01

In the standard approach to evolutionary games and replicator dynamics, differences in fitness can be interpreted as an excess from the mean Malthusian growth rate in the population. In the underlying reasoning, related to an analysis of "costs" and "benefits", there is a silent assumption that fitness can be described in some type of units. However, in most cases these units of measure are not explicitly specified. Then the question arises: are these theories testable? How can we measure "benefit" or "cost"? A natural language, useful for describing and justifying comparisons of strategic "cost" versus "benefits", is the terminology of demography, because the basic events that shape the outcome of natural selection are births and deaths. In this paper, we present the consequences of an explicit analysis of births and deaths in an evolutionary game theoretic framework. We will investigate different types of mortality pressures, their combinations and the possibility of trade-offs between mortality and fertility. We will show that within this new approach it is possible to model how strictly ecological factors such as density dependence and additive background fitness, which seem neutral in classical theory, can affect the outcomes of the game. We consider the example of the Hawk-Dove game, and show that when reformulated in terms of our new approach new details and new biological predictions are produced.

Evaluating Moving Target Defense with PLADD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, Stephen T.; Outkin, Alexander V.; Gearhart, Jared Lee

This project evaluates the effectiveness of moving target defense (MTD) techniques using a new game we have designed, called PLADD, inspired by the game FlipIt [28]. PLADD extends FlipIt by incorporating what we believe are key MTD concepts. We have analyzed PLADD and proven the existence of a defender strategy that pushes a rational attacker out of the game, demonstrated how limited the strategies available to an attacker are in PLADD, and derived analytic expressions for the expected utility of the game’s players in multiple game variants. We have created an algorithm for finding a defender’s optimal PLADD strategy. Wemore » show that in the special case of achieving deterrence in PLADD, MTD is not always cost effective and that its optimal deployment may shift abruptly from not using MTD at all to using it as aggressively as possible. We believe our effort provides basic, fundamental insights into the use of MTD, but conclude that a truly practical analysis requires model selection and calibration based on real scenarios and empirical data. We propose several avenues for further inquiry, including (1) agents with adaptive capabilities more reflective of real world adversaries, (2) the presence of multiple, heterogeneous adversaries, (3) computational game theory-based approaches such as coevolution to allow scaling to the real world beyond the limitations of analytical analysis and classical game theory, (4) mapping the game to real-world scenarios, (5) taking player risk into account when designing a strategy (in addition to expected payoff), (6) improving our understanding of the dynamic nature of MTD-inspired games by using a martingale representation, defensive forecasting, and techniques from signal processing, and (7) using adversarial games to develop inherently resilient cyber systems.« less

The promotion of cooperation by the poor in dynamic chicken games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Hiromu; Katsumata, Yuki; Hasegawa, Eisuke; Yoshimura, Jin

2017-02-01

The evolution of cooperative behavior is one of the most important issues in game theory. Previous studies have shown that cooperation can evolve only under highly limited conditions, and various modifications have been introduced to games to explain the evolution of cooperation. Recently, a utility function basic to game theory was shown to be dependent on current wealth as a conditional (state) variable in a dynamic version of utility theory. Here, we introduce this dynamic utility function to several games. Under certain conditions, poor players exhibit cooperative behavior in two types of chicken games (the hawk-dove game and the snowdrift game) but not in the prisoner’s dilemma game and the stag hunt game. This result indicates that cooperation can be exhibited by the poor in some chicken games. Thus, the evolution of cooperation may not be as limited as has been suggested in previous studies.

What Information Theory Says About Best Response and About Binding Contracts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolpert, David H.

2004-01-01

Product Distribution (PD) theory is the information-theoretic extension of conventional full- rationality game theory to bounded rational games. Here PD theory is used to investigate games in which the players use bounded rational best-response strategies. This investigation illuminates how to determine the optimal organization chart for a corporation, or more generally how to order the sequence of moves of the players / employees so as to optimize an overall objective function. It is then shown that in the continuum-time limit, bounded rational best response games result in a variant of the replicator dynamics of evolutionary game theory. This variant is then investigated for team games, in which the players share the same utility function, by showing that such continuum- limit bounded rational best response is identical to Newton-Raphson iterative optimization of the shared utility function. Next PD theory is used to investigate changing the coordinate system of the game, i.e., changing the mapping from the joint move of the players to the arguments in the utility functions. Such a change couples those arguments, essentially by making each players move be an offered binding contract.

Communication Games Reveal Preparation Contextuality.

PubMed

Hameedi, Alley; Tavakoli, Armin; Marques, Breno; Bourennane, Mohamed

2017-12-01

A communication game consists of distributed parties attempting to jointly complete a task with restricted communication. Such games are useful tools for studying limitations of physical theories. A theory exhibits preparation contextuality whenever its predictions cannot be explained by a preparation noncontextual model. Here, we show that communication games performed in operational theories reveal the preparation contextuality of that theory. For statistics obtained in a particular family of communication games, we show a direct correspondence with correlations in spacelike separated events obeying the no-signaling principle. Using this, we prove that all mixed quantum states of any finite dimension are preparation contextual. We report on an experimental realization of a communication game involving three-level quantum systems from which we observe a strong violation of the constraints of preparation noncontextuality.

Communication Games Reveal Preparation Contextuality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hameedi, Alley; Tavakoli, Armin; Marques, Breno; Bourennane, Mohamed

2017-12-01

A communication game consists of distributed parties attempting to jointly complete a task with restricted communication. Such games are useful tools for studying limitations of physical theories. A theory exhibits preparation contextuality whenever its predictions cannot be explained by a preparation noncontextual model. Here, we show that communication games performed in operational theories reveal the preparation contextuality of that theory. For statistics obtained in a particular family of communication games, we show a direct correspondence with correlations in spacelike separated events obeying the no-signaling principle. Using this, we prove that all mixed quantum states of any finite dimension are preparation contextual. We report on an experimental realization of a communication game involving three-level quantum systems from which we observe a strong violation of the constraints of preparation noncontextuality.

Negotiation in the Operational Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-06

sentence. The question then becomes what to do? See Robert Axelrod , The Evolution of Cooperation (New York: Basic Books, 1984) and S. J . Brams, Game...33 Robert Axelrod , The Evolution of Cooperation (New York: Basic Books, 1984); S. J . Brams, Game Theory and...1944). 27 Ibid.,75-100. 28 Steven J . Brams, Game Theory and Politics (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications Inc., 1975); and, Morton D. Davis, Game Theory

Analysis of Commercial Pricing Factors: A Framework for Commercial Item Pricing

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-03-01

24 A. INTRODUCTION ...................................24 B. PRICING THEORIES ...............................25 1. Market Theory ...25 2. Transactional Cost Economics .................30 3. Game or Bargaining Theory ....................35 C. CURRENT PRICE...from Congressional intent to have the Government acquisition process rely on market forces to determine fair and reasonable prices. (Ref. 22, p. 2

U.S. Patent Pending, Information Security Analysis Using Game Theory and Simulation, U.S. Patent Application No.: 14/097,840

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abercrombie, Robert K; Schlicher, Bob G

Vulnerability in security of an information system is quantitatively predicted. The information system may receive malicious actions against its security and may receive corrective actions for restoring the security. A game oriented agent based model is constructed in a simulator application. The game ABM model represents security activity in the information system. The game ABM model has two opposing participants including an attacker and a defender, probabilistic game rules and allowable game states. A specified number of simulations are run and a probabilistic number of the plurality of allowable game states are reached in each simulation run. The probability ofmore » reaching a specified game state is unknown prior to running each simulation. Data generated during the game states is collected to determine a probability of one or more aspects of security in the information system.« less

Game Theoretic Modeling of Water Resources Allocation Under Hydro-Climatic Uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, C.; Lall, U.; Siegfried, T.

2005-12-01

Typical hydrologic and economic modeling approaches rely on assumptions of climate stationarity and economic conditions of ideal markets and rational decision-makers. In this study, we incorporate hydroclimatic variability with a game theoretic approach to simulate and evaluate common water allocation paradigms. Game Theory may be particularly appropriate for modeling water allocation decisions. First, a game theoretic approach allows economic analysis in situations where price theory doesn't apply, which is typically the case in water resources where markets are thin, players are few, and rules of exchange are highly constrained by legal or cultural traditions. Previous studies confirm that game theory is applicable to water resources decision problems, yet applications and modeling based on these principles is only rarely observed in the literature. Second, there are numerous existing theoretical and empirical studies of specific games and human behavior that may be applied in the development of predictive water allocation models. With this framework, one can evaluate alternative orderings and rules regarding the fraction of available water that one is allowed to appropriate. Specific attributes of the players involved in water resources management complicate the determination of solutions to game theory models. While an analytical approach will be useful for providing general insights, the variety of preference structures of individual players in a realistic water scenario will likely require a simulation approach. We propose a simulation approach incorporating the rationality, self-interest and equilibrium concepts of game theory with an agent-based modeling framework that allows the distinct properties of each player to be expressed and allows the performance of the system to manifest the integrative effect of these factors. Underlying this framework, we apply a realistic representation of spatio-temporal hydrologic variability and incorporate the impact of decision-making a priori to hydrologic realizations and those made a posteriori on alternative allocation mechanisms. Outcomes are evaluated in terms of water productivity, net social benefit and equity. The performance of hydro-climate prediction modeling in each allocation mechanism will be assessed. Finally, year-to-year system performance and feedback pathways are explored. In this way, the system can be adaptively managed toward equitable and efficient water use.

Active Learning with Monty Hall in a Game Theory Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brokaw, Alan J.; Merz, Thomas E.

2004-01-01

The authors describe a game that students can play on the first day of a game theory class. The game introduces the 4 essential elements of any game and is designed so that its sequel, also played on the first day of class, has students playing the well-known Monty Hall game, which raises the question: Should you switch doors? By implementing a…

Nailing the Coffin Shut on Doubts that Violent Video Games Stimulate Aggression ∼Comment on Anderson et al. (2010).

PubMed Central

Huesmann, L. Rowell

2010-01-01

Over the past half-century the mass media, including video games, have become important socializers of children. Observational learning theory has evolved into social-cognitive information processing models that explain that what a child observes in any venue has both short-term and long-term influences on the child's behaviors and cognitions. Anderson's (2010) extensive meta-analysis of the effects of violent video games confirms what these theories predict and what prior research about other violent mass media has found – that violent video games stimulate aggression in the players in the short run and increase the risk for aggressive behaviors by the players later in life. The effects occur for males and females and for children growing up in Eastern or Western cultures. The effects are strongest for the best studies. Contrary to some critics' assertions, the meta-analysis is methodologically sound and comprehensive. Yet the results are unlikely to change the critics' views or the public's perception that the issue is undecided because there are some studies that have yielded null effects, because many people are concerned that the implications of the research threaten freedom of expression, and because many people have their identities or self-interests closely tied to violent video games. PMID:20192555

Game analysis among the central government, local governments, and firms in China’s environmental pollution governance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shuwen; Xu, Jin

2018-05-01

China’s environmental pollution governance has entered the game stage centered on interests, and there are three main bodies in environmental pollution governance: the central government, local governments and firms. The research firstly reveals the relationships among the central government, local governments, and firms in the process of environmental governance, and then analyzes the game among the central government, local governments and firms using game theory in Economics. Finally, the research makes a conclusion and proposes some corresponding policy proposals so as to solve the problem of environmental pollution.

The Play Theory and Computer Games Using in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerkushenko, Svetlana; Gerkushenko, Georgy

2014-01-01

The article describes the role of play in child's development and identifies the characteristics of mature play in preschool age. The paper gives an overview of the computer games for preschool children used in Russian kindergartens. The research conducted with 50 Russian kindergarten teachers provides the analysis of the most important factors of…

Professional Competence and Basic Ability-Oriented Game Theory Analysis of China's Higher Vocational College English Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jian

2012-01-01

To strengthen the professional competence and basic ability is the objective requirements of the Chinese higher vocational college English teaching, while the positioning of the teaching objectives is partial to a "prisoner's dilemma" in game situations that any party will result in. To get rid of the "dilemma", we have to…

The Study on "Academic Game"-Oriented English Course Model for Postgraduates in Agricultural Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xia, Xinrong

2010-01-01

Based on the analysis of the questionnaire survey on learning motivation and learning needs of postgraduates and their demands and suggestions on English teaching, the paper makes a beneficial exploration on English course model for postgraduates in agricultural universities. Under the guidance of academic game theory, the "language skills+…

"Depletion": A Game with Natural Rules for Teaching Reaction Rate Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olbris, Donald J.; Herzfeld, Judith

2002-01-01

Depletion is a game that reinforces central concepts of reaction rate theory through simulation. Presents the game with a set of follow-up questions suitable for either a quiz or discussion. Also describes student reaction to the game. (MM)

Game Theory and Risk-Based Levee System Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, R.; Lund, J. R.; Madani, K.

2014-12-01

Risk-based analysis has been developed for optimal levee design for economic efficiency. Along many rivers, two levees on opposite riverbanks act as a simple levee system. Being rational and self-interested, land owners on each river bank would tend to independently optimize their levees with risk-based analysis, resulting in a Pareto-inefficient levee system design from the social planner's perspective. Game theory is applied in this study to analyze decision making process in a simple levee system in which the land owners on each river bank develop their design strategies using risk-based economic optimization. For each land owner, the annual expected total cost includes expected annual damage cost and annualized construction cost. The non-cooperative Nash equilibrium is identified and compared to the social planner's optimal distribution of flood risk and damage cost throughout the system which results in the minimum total flood cost for the system. The social planner's optimal solution is not feasible without appropriate level of compensation for the transferred flood risk to guarantee and improve conditions for all parties. Therefore, cooperative game theory is then employed to develop an economically optimal design that can be implemented in practice. By examining the game in the reversible and irreversible decision making modes, the cost of decision making myopia is calculated to underline the significance of considering the externalities and evolution path of dynamic water resource problems for optimal decision making.

Transitivity vs. intransitivity in decision making process - an example in quantum game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makowski, Marcin

2009-06-01

We compare two different ways of quantum modification in a simple sequential game called Cat's Dilemma in the context of the debate on intransitive and transitive preferences. This kind of analysis can have essential meaning for research on artificial intelligence (some possibilities are discussed). Nature has both transitive and intransitive properties and perhaps quantum models will be more able to capture this dualism than the classical models. We also present an electoral interpretation of the game.

Improving Preschoolers' Theory of Mind Skills with Digital Games: A Training Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikolayev, Mariya

2015-01-01

This single-subject research study examined functional relation between digital games enriched with voice-overs and theory of mind (ToM) when game play was either followed or not followed by a discussion focused on the game's content. The study employed multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the effects of games with mental state…

Linking Pedagogical Theory of Computer Games to their Usability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ang, Chee Siang; Avni, Einav; Zaphiris, Panayiotis

2008-01-01

This article reviews a range of literature of computer games and learning theories and attempts to establish a link between them by proposing a typology of games which we use as a new usability measure for the development of guidelines for game-based learning. First, we examine game literature in order to understand the key elements that…

Game Theory .net.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shor, Mikhael

2003-01-01

States making game theory relevant and accessible to students is challenging. Describes the primary goal of GameTheory.net is to provide interactive teaching tools. Indicates the site strives to unite educators from economics, political and computer science, and ecology by providing a repository of lecture notes and tests for courses using…

Asymmetric Evolutionary Games

PubMed Central

McAvoy, Alex; Hauert, Christoph

2015-01-01

Evolutionary game theory is a powerful framework for studying evolution in populations of interacting individuals. A common assumption in evolutionary game theory is that interactions are symmetric, which means that the players are distinguished by only their strategies. In nature, however, the microscopic interactions between players are nearly always asymmetric due to environmental effects, differing baseline characteristics, and other possible sources of heterogeneity. To model these phenomena, we introduce into evolutionary game theory two broad classes of asymmetric interactions: ecological and genotypic. Ecological asymmetry results from variation in the environments of the players, while genotypic asymmetry is a consequence of the players having differing baseline genotypes. We develop a theory of these forms of asymmetry for games in structured populations and use the classical social dilemmas, the Prisoner’s Dilemma and the Snowdrift Game, for illustrations. Interestingly, asymmetric games reveal essential differences between models of genetic evolution based on reproduction and models of cultural evolution based on imitation that are not apparent in symmetric games. PMID:26308326

Differences in game reading between selected and non-selected youth soccer players.

PubMed

Den Hartigh, Ruud J R; Van Der Steen, Steffie; Hakvoort, Bas; Frencken, Wouter G P; Lemmink, Koen A P M

2018-02-01

Applying an established theory of cognitive development-Skill Theory-the current study compares the game-reading skills of youth players selected for a soccer school of a professional soccer club (n = 49) and their non-selected peers (n = 38). Participants described the actions taking place in videos of soccer game plays, and their verbalisations were coded using Skill Theory. Compared to the non-selected players, the selected players generally demonstrated higher levels of complexity in their game-reading, and structured the information of game elements-primarily the player, teammate and field-at higher complexity levels. These results demonstrate how Skill Theory can be used to assess, and distinguish game-reading of youth players with different expertise, a skill important for soccer, but also for other sports.

On Tradeoffs between Trust and Survivability using a Game Theoretic Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-13

On Tradeoffs between Trust and Survivability using a Game Theoretic Approach Jin-Hee Cho and Ananthram Swami U.S. Army Research Laboratory...introduces a game theoretic approach, namely Aoyagi’s game theory based on positive collusion of players. This approach improves group trust by...communication and networking field [17]. We employ a game theoretic approach, namely Aoyagi’s game theory [2], to introduce the concept of positive

Stochastic game theory: for playing games, not just for doing theory.

PubMed

Goeree, J K; Holt, C A

1999-09-14

Recent theoretical advances have dramatically increased the relevance of game theory for predicting human behavior in interactive situations. By relaxing the classical assumptions of perfect rationality and perfect foresight, we obtain much improved explanations of initial decisions, dynamic patterns of learning and adjustment, and equilibrium steady-state distributions.

Cognitive behavioral game design: a unified model for designing serious games

PubMed Central

Starks, Katryna

2014-01-01

Video games have a unique ability to engage, challenge, and motivate, which has led teachers, psychology specialists, political activists and health educators to find ways of using them to help people learn, grow and change. Serious games, as they are called, are defined as games that have a primary purpose other than entertainment. However, it is challenging to create games that both educate and entertain. While game designers have embraced some psychological concepts such as flow and mastery, understanding how these concepts work together within established psychological theory would assist them in creating effective serious games. Similarly, game design professionals have understood the propensity of video games to teach while lamenting that educators do not understand how to incorporate educational principles into game play in a way that preserves the entertainment. Bandura (2006) social cognitive theory (SCT) has been used successfully to create video games that create positive behavior outcomes, and teachers have successfully used Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences (MIs) to create engaging, immersive learning experiences. Cognitive behavioral game design is a new framework that incorporates SCT and MI with game design principles to create a game design blueprint for serious games. PMID:24550858

Cognitive behavioral game design: a unified model for designing serious games.

PubMed

Starks, Katryna

2014-01-01

Video games have a unique ability to engage, challenge, and motivate, which has led teachers, psychology specialists, political activists and health educators to find ways of using them to help people learn, grow and change. Serious games, as they are called, are defined as games that have a primary purpose other than entertainment. However, it is challenging to create games that both educate and entertain. While game designers have embraced some psychological concepts such as flow and mastery, understanding how these concepts work together within established psychological theory would assist them in creating effective serious games. Similarly, game design professionals have understood the propensity of video games to teach while lamenting that educators do not understand how to incorporate educational principles into game play in a way that preserves the entertainment. Bandura (2006) social cognitive theory (SCT) has been used successfully to create video games that create positive behavior outcomes, and teachers have successfully used Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences (MIs) to create engaging, immersive learning experiences. Cognitive behavioral game design is a new framework that incorporates SCT and MI with game design principles to create a game design blueprint for serious games.

Quantum-mechanical machinery for rational decision-making in classical guessing game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bang, Jeongho; Ryu, Junghee; Pawłowski, Marcin; Ham, Byoung S.; Lee, Jinhyoung

2016-02-01

In quantum game theory, one of the most intriguing and important questions is, “Is it possible to get quantum advantages without any modification of the classical game?” The answer to this question so far has largely been negative. So far, it has usually been thought that a change of the classical game setting appears to be unavoidable for getting the quantum advantages. However, we give an affirmative answer here, focusing on the decision-making process (we call ‘reasoning’) to generate the best strategy, which may occur internally, e.g., in the player’s brain. To show this, we consider a classical guessing game. We then define a one-player reasoning problem in the context of the decision-making theory, where the machinery processes are designed to simulate classical and quantum reasoning. In such settings, we present a scenario where a rational player is able to make better use of his/her weak preferences due to quantum reasoning, without any altering or resetting of the classically defined game. We also argue in further analysis that the quantum reasoning may make the player fail, and even make the situation worse, due to any inappropriate preferences.

Quantum-mechanical machinery for rational decision-making in classical guessing game

PubMed Central

Bang, Jeongho; Ryu, Junghee; Pawłowski, Marcin; Ham, Byoung S.; Lee, Jinhyoung

2016-01-01

In quantum game theory, one of the most intriguing and important questions is, “Is it possible to get quantum advantages without any modification of the classical game?” The answer to this question so far has largely been negative. So far, it has usually been thought that a change of the classical game setting appears to be unavoidable for getting the quantum advantages. However, we give an affirmative answer here, focusing on the decision-making process (we call ‘reasoning’) to generate the best strategy, which may occur internally, e.g., in the player’s brain. To show this, we consider a classical guessing game. We then define a one-player reasoning problem in the context of the decision-making theory, where the machinery processes are designed to simulate classical and quantum reasoning. In such settings, we present a scenario where a rational player is able to make better use of his/her weak preferences due to quantum reasoning, without any altering or resetting of the classically defined game. We also argue in further analysis that the quantum reasoning may make the player fail, and even make the situation worse, due to any inappropriate preferences. PMID:26875685

Quantum-mechanical machinery for rational decision-making in classical guessing game.

PubMed

Bang, Jeongho; Ryu, Junghee; Pawłowski, Marcin; Ham, Byoung S; Lee, Jinhyoung

2016-02-15

In quantum game theory, one of the most intriguing and important questions is, "Is it possible to get quantum advantages without any modification of the classical game?" The answer to this question so far has largely been negative. So far, it has usually been thought that a change of the classical game setting appears to be unavoidable for getting the quantum advantages. However, we give an affirmative answer here, focusing on the decision-making process (we call 'reasoning') to generate the best strategy, which may occur internally, e.g., in the player's brain. To show this, we consider a classical guessing game. We then define a one-player reasoning problem in the context of the decision-making theory, where the machinery processes are designed to simulate classical and quantum reasoning. In such settings, we present a scenario where a rational player is able to make better use of his/her weak preferences due to quantum reasoning, without any altering or resetting of the classically defined game. We also argue in further analysis that the quantum reasoning may make the player fail, and even make the situation worse, due to any inappropriate preferences.

Game Theory in the Social Studies Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vesperman, Dean Patrick; Clark, Chris H.

2016-01-01

This article explores using game theory in social studies classrooms as a heuristic to aid students in understanding strategic decision making. The authors provide examples of several simple games teachers can use. Next, we address how to help students design their own simple (2 × 2) games.

A quantum extension to inspection game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Xinyang; Deng, Yong; Liu, Qi; Chang, Shuhua; Wang, Zhen

2016-06-01

Quantum game theory is a new interdisciplinary field between game theory and system engineering research. In this paper, we extend the classical inspection game into a quantum game version by quantizing the strategy space and importing entanglement between players. Our results show that the quantum inspection game has various Nash equilibria depending on the initial quantum state of the game. It is also shown that quantization can respectively help each player to increase his own payoff, yet fails to bring Pareto improvement for the collective payoff in the quantum inspection game.

Assessment of Evaluation Frameworks for Design of a Sexual Risk Prevention Game for Black Adolescent Girls.

PubMed

Sockolow, Paulina; Joppa, Meredith; Zhu, Jichen

2018-01-01

Adolescent sexual risk behavior (SRB), a major public health problem affects urban Black adolescent girls increasing their health disparities and risks for sexually transmitted infections. Collaborating with these adolescents, we designed a game for smartphones that incorporates elements of trauma-informed care and social cognitive theory to reduce SRB. Game researchers promote use of a comprehensive, multipurpose framework for development and evaluation of games for health applications. Our first game development step was framework selection and measurable health outcomes identification. Literature search identified two health game frameworks, both incorporating pedagogical theory, learning theory, and gaming requirements. Arnab used the IM + LM-GM framework to develop and implement a game in a school intervention program. Yusoff's framework was developed for use during game design. We investigated concordance and discordance between our SRB game design characteristics and each framework's components. Findings indicated Arnab's framework was sufficiently comprehensive to guide development of our game and outcome measure selection.

Game theory and plant ecology.

PubMed

McNickle, Gordon G; Dybzinski, Ray

2013-04-01

The fixed and plastic traits possessed by a plant, which may be collectively thought of as its strategy, are commonly modelled as density-independent adaptations to its environment. However, plant strategies may also represent density- or frequency-dependent adaptations to the strategies used by neighbours. Game theory provides the tools to characterise such density- and frequency-dependent interactions. Here, we review the contributions of game theory to plant ecology. After briefly reviewing game theory from the perspective of plant ecology, we divide our review into three sections. First, game theoretical models of allocation to shoots and roots often predict investment in those organs beyond what would be optimal in the absence of competition. Second, game theoretical models of enemy defence suggest that an individual's investment in defence is not only a means of reducing its own tissue damage but also a means of deflecting enemies onto competitors. Finally, game theoretical models of trade with mutualistic partners suggest that the optimal trade may reflect competition for access to mutualistic partners among plants. In short, our review provides an accessible entrance to game theory that will help plant ecologists enrich their research with its worldview and existing predictions. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Adaptive Topographies and Equilibrium Selection in an Evolutionary Game

PubMed Central

Osinga, Hinke M.; Marshall, James A. R.

2015-01-01

It has long been known in the field of population genetics that adaptive topographies, in which population equilibria maximise mean population fitness for a trait regardless of its genetic bases, do not exist. Whether one chooses to model selection acting on a single locus or multiple loci does matter. In evolutionary game theory, analysis of a simple and general game involving distinct roles for the two players has shown that whether strategies are modelled using a single ‘locus’ or one ‘locus’ for each role, the stable population equilibria are unchanged and correspond to the fitness-maximising evolutionary stable strategies of the game. This is curious given the aforementioned population genetical results on the importance of the genetic bases of traits. Here we present a dynamical systems analysis of the game with roles detailing how, while the stable equilibria in this game are unchanged by the number of ‘loci’ modelled, equilibrium selection may differ under the two modelling approaches. PMID:25706762

Quantum market games: implementing tactics via measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pakula, I.; Piotrowski, E. W.; Sladkowski, J.

2006-02-01

A major development in applying quantum mechanical formalism to various fields has been made during the last few years. Quantum counterparts of Game Theory, Economy, as well as diverse approaches to Quantum Information Theory have been found and currently are being explored. Using connections between Quantum Game Theory and Quantum Computations, an application of the universality of a measurement based computation in Quantum Market Theory is presented.

Skill versus luck: A motivational analysis of gambling involvement.

PubMed

Chantal, Y; Vallerand, R J

1996-12-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to test the skill/luck distinction among gambling games by comparing the motivations underlying participation in a skill (horse racing) and a luck (lottery) betting activity. Predictions were made using Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991). It was predicted that self-determined motivations (intrinsic motivation and identified regulation) would be more prominent for the skill game because it is conducive to optimal challenges, fun, and self-involvement. Conversely, the non self-determined forms of motivation (especially external regulation) should be more important for the game of luck because the luck dimension precludes true involvement of the self and orients the individual towards material gains. Results from a hierarchical discriminant function analysis, with 120 gamblers predominantly involved in one of the two betting activities, supported these hypotheses. These results highlight the relevance of a motivational analysis for a better understanding of the inherent properties of gambling games.

A pilot randomized, controlled trial of an active video game physical activity intervention.

PubMed

Peng, Wei; Pfeiffer, Karin A; Winn, Brian; Lin, Jih-Hsuan; Suton, Darijan

2015-12-01

Active video games (AVGs) transform the sedentary screen time of video gaming into active screen time and have great potential to serve as a "gateway" tool to a more active lifestyle for the least active individuals. This pilot randomized trial was conducted to explore the potential of theory-guided active video games in increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among young adults. In this pilot 4-week intervention, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of the following groups: an AVG group with all the self determination theory (SDT)-based game features turned off, an AVG group with all the SDT-based game features turned on, a passive gameplay group with all the SDT-based game features turned on, and a control group. Physical activity was measured using ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers. Other outcomes included attendance and perceived need satisfaction of autonomy, competence and relatedness. It was found that playing the self-determination theory supported AVG resulted in greater MVPA compared with the control group immediately postintervention. The AVG with the theory-supported features also resulted in greater attendance and psychological need satisfaction than the non-theory-supported one. An AVG designed with motivation theory informed features positively impacted attendance and MVPA immediately postintervention, suggesting that including AVG features guided with motivation theory may be a method of addressing common problems with adherence and increasing effectiveness of active gaming. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The Modeling of Human Intelligence in the Computer as Demonstrated in the Game of DIPLOMAT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, James Edward; Paulsen, Thomas Dean

An attempt was made to develop human-like behavior in the computer. A theory of the human learning process was described. A computer game was presented which simulated the human capabilities of reasoning and learning. The program was required to make intelligent decisions based on past experiences and critical analysis of the present situation.…

Game Theoretical Analysis on Cooperation Stability and Incentive Effectiveness in Community Networks.

PubMed

Song, Kaida; Wang, Rui; Liu, Yi; Qian, Depei; Zhang, Han; Cai, Jihong

2015-01-01

Community networks, the distinguishing feature of which is membership admittance, appear on P2P networks, social networks, and conventional Web networks. Joining the network costs money, time or network bandwidth, but the individuals get access to special resources owned by the community in return. The prosperity and stability of the community are determined by both the policy of admittance and the attraction of the privileges gained by joining. However, some misbehaving users can get the dedicated resources with some illicit and low-cost approaches, which introduce instability into the community, a phenomenon that will destroy the membership policy. In this paper, we analyze on the stability using game theory on such a phenomenon. We propose a game-theoretical model of stability analysis in community networks and provide conditions for a stable community. We then extend the model to analyze the effectiveness of different incentive policies, which could be used when the community cannot maintain its members in certain situations. Then we verify those models through a simulation. Finally, we discuss several ways to promote community network's stability by adjusting the network's properties and give some proposal on the designs of these types of networks from the points of game theory and stability.

Game Theory and Technical Communication: Interpreting the Texas Two-Step through Harsanyi Transformation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Miriam F.

2012-01-01

The author uses game theoretical models to identify technical communication breakdowns encountered during the notoriously confusing Texas Two-Step voting and caucusing process. Specifically, the author uses narrative theory and game theory to highlight areas where caucus participants needed instructions to better understand the rules of the game…

Using Game Theory and the Bible to Build Critical Thinking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCannon, Bryan C.

2007-01-01

The author describes a course designed to build the critical thinking skills of undergraduate economics students. The course introduces and uses game theory to study the Bible. Students gain experience using game theory to formalize events and, by drawing parallels between the Bible and common economic concepts, illustrate the pervasiveness of…

Review: Game theory of public goods in one-shot social dilemmas without assortment.

PubMed

Archetti, Marco; Scheuring, István

2012-04-21

We review the theory of public goods in biology. In the N-person prisoner's dilemma, where the public good is a linear function of the individual contributions, cooperation requires some form of assortment, for example due to kin discrimination, population viscosity or repeated interactions. In most social species ranging from bacteria to humans, however, public goods are usually a non-linear function of the contributions, which makes cooperation possible without assortment. More specifically, a polymorphic state can be stable in which cooperators and non-cooperators coexist. The existence of mixed equilibria in public goods games is a fundamental result in the study of cooperation that has been overlooked so far, because of the disproportionate attention given to the two- and N-person prisoner's dilemma. Methods and results from games with pairwise interactions or linear benefits cannot, in general, be extended to the analysis of public goods. Game theory helps explain the production of public goods in one-shot, N-person interactions without assortment, it leads to predictions that can be easily tested and allows a prescriptive approach to cooperation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new concept: Epigenetic game theory. Comment on: ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xiu-Deng; Tao, Yi

2017-03-01

The evolutionary significance of the interaction between paternal and maternal genomes in fertilized zygotes is a very interesting and challenging question. Wang et al. developed the concept of epigenetic game theory, and they try to use this concept to explain the interaction between paternal and maternal genomes in fertilized zygotes [1]. They emphasize that the embryogenesis can be considered as an ecological system in which two highly distinct and specialized gametes coordinate through either cooperation or competition, or both, to maximize the fitness of embryos under Darwinian selection. More specifically, they integrate game theory to model the pattern of coordination of paternal genome and maternal genomes mediated by DNA methylation dynamics, and they called this epigenetic game theory.

Using Game Theory Techniques and Concepts to Develop Proprietary Models for Use in Intelligent Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christopher, Timothy Van

2011-01-01

This work is about analyzing games as models of systems. The goal is to understand the techniques that have been used by game designers in the past, and to compare them to the study of mathematical game theory. Through the study of a system or concept a model often emerges that can effectively educate students about making intelligent decisions…

Spectacular phenomena and limits to rationality in genetic and cultural evolution.

PubMed Central

Enquist, Magnus; Arak, Anthony; Ghirlanda, Stefano; Wachtmeister, Carl-Adam

2002-01-01

In studies of both animal and human behaviour, game theory is used as a tool for understanding strategies that appear in interactions between individuals. Game theory focuses on adaptive behaviour, which can be attained only at evolutionary equilibrium. We suggest that behaviour appearing during interactions is often outside the scope of such analysis. In many types of interaction, conflicts of interest exist between players, fuelling the evolution of manipulative strategies. Such strategies evolve out of equilibrium, commonly appearing as spectacular morphology or behaviour with obscure meaning, to which other players may react in non-adaptive, irrational ways. We present a simple model to show some limitations of the game-theory approach, and outline the conditions in which evolutionary equilibria cannot be maintained. Evidence from studies of biological interactions seems to support the view that behaviour is often not at equilibrium. This also appears to be the case for many human cultural traits, which have spread rapidly despite the fact that they have a negative influence on reproduction. PMID:12495515

Spectacular phenomena and limits to rationality in genetic and cultural evolution.

PubMed

Enquist, Magnus; Arak, Anthony; Ghirlanda, Stefano; Wachtmeister, Carl-Adam

2002-11-29

In studies of both animal and human behaviour, game theory is used as a tool for understanding strategies that appear in interactions between individuals. Game theory focuses on adaptive behaviour, which can be attained only at evolutionary equilibrium. We suggest that behaviour appearing during interactions is often outside the scope of such analysis. In many types of interaction, conflicts of interest exist between players, fuelling the evolution of manipulative strategies. Such strategies evolve out of equilibrium, commonly appearing as spectacular morphology or behaviour with obscure meaning, to which other players may react in non-adaptive, irrational ways. We present a simple model to show some limitations of the game-theory approach, and outline the conditions in which evolutionary equilibria cannot be maintained. Evidence from studies of biological interactions seems to support the view that behaviour is often not at equilibrium. This also appears to be the case for many human cultural traits, which have spread rapidly despite the fact that they have a negative influence on reproduction.

Game theory in the death galaxy: interaction of cancer and stromal cells in tumour microenvironment.

PubMed

Wu, Amy; Liao, David; Tlsty, Thea D; Sturm, James C; Austin, Robert H

2014-08-06

Preventing relapse is the major challenge to effective therapy in cancer. Within the tumour, stromal (ST) cells play an important role in cancer progression and the emergence of drug resistance. During cancer treatment, the fitness of cancer cells can be enhanced by ST cells because their molecular signalling interaction delays the drug-induced apoptosis of cancer cells. On the other hand, competition among cancer and ST cells for space or resources should not be ignored. We explore the population dynamics of multiple myeloma (MM) versus bone marrow ST cells by using an experimental microecology that we call the death galaxy, with a stable drug gradient and connected microhabitats. Evolutionary game theory is a quantitative way to capture the frequency-dependent nature of interactive populations. Therefore, we use evolutionary game theory to model the populations in the death galaxy with the gradients of pay-offs and successfully predict the future densities of MM and ST cells. We discuss the possible clinical use of such analysis for predicting cancer progression.

Game relativity: how context influences strategic decision making.

PubMed

Vlaev, Ivo; Chater, Nick

2006-01-01

Existing models of strategic decision making typically assume that only the attributes of the currently played game need be considered when reaching a decision. The results presented in this article demonstrate that the so-called "co-operativeness" of the previously played prisoner's dilemma games influence choices and predictions in the current prisoner's dilemma game, which suggests that games are not considered independently. These effects involved reinforcement-based assimilation to the previous choices and also a perceptual contrast of the present game with preceding games, depending on the range and the rank of their co-operativeness. A. Parducci's (1965) range frequency theory and H. Helson's (1964) adaptation level theory are plausible theories of relative judgment of magnitude information, which could provide an account of these context effects. ((c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Games of life and death: antibiotic resistance and production through the lens of evolutionary game theory.

PubMed

Conlin, Peter L; Chandler, Josephine R; Kerr, Benjamin

2014-10-01

In this review, we demonstrate how game theory can be a useful first step in modeling and understanding interactions among bacteria that produce and resist antibiotics. We introduce the basic features of evolutionary game theory and explore model microbial systems that correspond to some classical games. Each game discussed defines a different category of social interaction with different resulting population dynamics (exclusion, coexistence, bistability, cycling). We then explore how the framework can be extended to incorporate some of the complexity of natural microbial communities. Overall, the game theoretical perspective helps to guide our expectations about the evolution of some forms of antibiotic resistance and production because it makes clear the precise nature of social interaction in this context. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The replicator equation and other game dynamics

PubMed Central

Cressman, Ross; Tao, Yi

2014-01-01

The replicator equation is the first and most important game dynamics studied in connection with evolutionary game theory. It was originally developed for symmetric games with finitely many strategies. Properties of these dynamics are briefly summarized for this case, including the convergence to and stability of the Nash equilibria and evolutionarily stable strategies. The theory is then extended to other game dynamics for symmetric games (e.g., the best response dynamics and adaptive dynamics) and illustrated by examples taken from the literature. It is also extended to multiplayer, population, and asymmetric games. PMID:25024202

Nailing the coffin shut on doubts that violent video games stimulate aggression: comment on Anderson et al. (2010).

PubMed

Huesmann, L Rowell

2010-03-01

Over the past half century the mass media, including video games, have become important socializers of children. Observational learning theory has evolved into social-cognitive information processing models that explain that what a child observes in any venue has both short-term and long-term influences on the child's behaviors and cognitions. C. A. Anderson et al.'s (2010) extensive meta-analysis of the effects of violent video games confirms what these theories predict and what prior research about other violent mass media has found: that violent video games stimulate aggression in the players in the short run and increase the risk for aggressive behaviors by the players later in life. The effects occur for males and females and for children growing up in Eastern or Western cultures. The effects are strongest for the best studies. Contrary to some critics' assertions, the meta-analysis of C. A. Anderson et al. is methodologically sound and comprehensive. Yet the results of meta-analyses are unlikely to change the critics' views or the public's perception that the issue is undecided because some studies have yielded null effects, because many people are concerned that the implications of the research threaten freedom of expression, and because many people have their identities or self-interests closely tied to violent video games.

Climate change and game theory.

PubMed

Wood, Peter John

2011-02-01

This paper examines the problem of achieving global cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Contributions to this problem are reviewed from noncooperative game theory, cooperative game theory, and implementation theory. We examine the solutions to games where players have a continuous choice about how much to pollute, as well as games where players make decisions about treaty participation. The implications of linking cooperation on climate change with cooperation on other issues, such as trade, are also examined. Cooperative and noncooperative approaches to coalition formation are investigated in order to examine the behavior of coalitions cooperating on climate change. One way to achieve cooperation is to design a game, known as a mechanism, whose equilibrium corresponds to an optimal outcome. This paper examines some mechanisms that are based on conditional commitments, and their policy implications. These mechanisms could make cooperation on climate change mitigation more likely. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

Analysis of Product Distribution Strategy in Digital Publishing Industry Based on Game-Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Li-ping; Chen, Haiyan

2017-04-01

The digital publishing output increased significantly year by year. It has been the most vigorous point of economic growth and has been more important to press and publication industry. Its distribution channel has been diversified, which is different from the traditional industry. A deep research has been done in digital publishing industry, for making clear of the constitution of the industry chain and establishing the model of industry chain. The cooperative and competitive relationship between different distribution channels have been analyzed basing on a game-theory. By comparing the distribution quantity and the market size between the static distribution strategy and dynamic distribution strategy, we get the theory evidence about how to choose the distribution strategy to get the optimal benefit.

Psychological motives and online games addiction: a test of flow theory and humanistic needs theory for Taiwanese adolescents.

PubMed

Wan, Chin-Sheng; Chiou, Wen-Bin

2006-06-01

Obviously, the negative impact of online games has received much attention as well as having become a popular research topic. This research explored, from flow theory and humanistic needs theory, the psychological motivations of Taiwanese adolescents who are addicted to online games. The purpose of Study 1 was to investigate the relationship between players' flow state and their online games addiction. The results indicated that flow state was negatively correlated with addictive inclination and it was not a significant predictor for players' subsequent additive inclination. Findings also revealed that the addicts' flow state was significantly lower than the nonaddicts. Thus, flow state might not be the key psychological mechanism of players' addiction. In Study 2, the results showed that the psychological needs of players of online games were close to the two-factor theory which depicts satisfaction and dissatisfaction dimensions. Addicted players' need-gratification was similar to the feature of dissatisfactory factor. That is, the absence of playing online games is more likely to generate sense of dissatisfaction; the addicts' compulsive use of online games seems to stem from the relief of dissatisfaction rather than the pursuit of satisfaction. In contrast, online games tend to provide the nonaddicts with a sense of satisfaction rather than a sense of dissatisfaction.

Game Theory Paradigm: A New Tool for Investigating Social Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorders

PubMed Central

Wang, Yun; Yang, Liu-Qing; Li, Shu; Zhou, Yuan

2015-01-01

Social dysfunction is a prominent source of distress and disability in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) but is commonly omitted from current clinical studies, although some researchers propose an evolutionary strategy to understand these negative outcomes. Limited knowledge about the neural basis of social dysfunction in MDD results from traditional paradigms, which lack insights into social interactions. Game theoretical modeling offers a new tool for investigating social-interaction impairments in neuropsychiatric disorders. This review first introduces three widely used games from game theory and the major behavioral and neuroimaging findings obtained using these games in healthy populations. We also address the factors that modulate behaviors in games and their neural bases. We then summarize the current findings obtained by using these games in depressed patients and discuss the clinical implications of these abnormal game behaviors. Finally, we briefly discuss future prospects that may further elucidate the clinical use of a game theory paradigm in MDD. PMID:26441689

Game Theory Paradigm: A New Tool for Investigating Social Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorders.

PubMed

Wang, Yun; Yang, Liu-Qing; Li, Shu; Zhou, Yuan

2015-01-01

Social dysfunction is a prominent source of distress and disability in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) but is commonly omitted from current clinical studies, although some researchers propose an evolutionary strategy to understand these negative outcomes. Limited knowledge about the neural basis of social dysfunction in MDD results from traditional paradigms, which lack insights into social interactions. Game theoretical modeling offers a new tool for investigating social-interaction impairments in neuropsychiatric disorders. This review first introduces three widely used games from game theory and the major behavioral and neuroimaging findings obtained using these games in healthy populations. We also address the factors that modulate behaviors in games and their neural bases. We then summarize the current findings obtained by using these games in depressed patients and discuss the clinical implications of these abnormal game behaviors. Finally, we briefly discuss future prospects that may further elucidate the clinical use of a game theory paradigm in MDD.

Examining Enjoyment of Casual Videogames.

PubMed

Shafer, Daniel M; Carbonara, Corey P

2015-12-01

This study investigated the processes leading to enjoyment of casual videogames on both mobile devices and console systems. Building upon a foundation in mental models theory and the psychology of play, the study focuses on how performance and experience-based variables impact enjoyment of casual videogames played on mobile devices and console devices. The grounding assumption of this research is that playing videogames produces enjoyment that contributes to mental health in the form of a brief distraction from the stress of daily life, social connections with family and friends through casual gameplay, and, in some cases, a compelling reason to engage in physical activity. A student sample of players (n=363) played a variety of casual games on mobile (iPad(®) or iPod(®) Touch(®) [Apple, Cupertino, CA]) or console (Wii™ [Nintendo, Japan], Xbox(®) 360 Kinect(®) [Microsoft, Redmond, WA], or PS3™ Move [Sony, Tokyo, Japan]) platforms. They then answered a questionnaire assessing their evaluations of the game's interactivity level, their sense of spatial presence in the game, their perception of the game's realism, and, most importantly, their enjoyment. Path analysis demonstrated the interrelationships among these variables. The results show that spatial presence is a powerful predictor of videogame enjoyment for both console- and mobile-based casual games. Patterns of prediction for games on each platform, as demonstrated using path analysis, were similar and aligned with predictions based on mental models and the psychology of play. The psychological theory of play and the mental models perspective offer firm theoretical grounds for understanding how enjoyment is wrought in the process of playing casual games. The relationships among interactivity, spatial presence, perceived reality, and enjoyment hold for games played on handheld or console devices. Furthermore, this study is one of the first to demonstrate these relationships and test them simultaneously, breaking new ground in research on game enjoyment.

Naval War College Review. Volume 67, Number 1, Winter 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

squishier” terms, phrases, and concepts yielded by qualitative techniques, such as grounded theory , ethnography , case studies , or content analysis.43...variety of established, qualitative techniques (i.e., grounded theory , content analysis, and survey research ) to “triangulate” the game’s findings...mari- time research , regional studies , distance education, war gaming, and education/ programs at the operational level of war. each of these intricate

A game theory perspective on environmental assessment: What games are played and what does this tell us about decision making rationality and legitimacy?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bond, Alan; Research Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University; Pope, Jenny

Game theory provides a useful theoretical framework to examine the decision process operating in the context of environmental assessment, and to examine the rationality and legitimacy of decision-making subject to Environmental Assessment (EA). The research uses a case study of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal processes undertaken in England. To these are applied an analytical framework, based on the concept of decision windows to identify the decisions to be assessed. The conditions for legitimacy are defined, based on game theory, in relation to the timing of decision information, the behaviour type (competitive, reciprocal, equity) exhibited by the decisionmore » maker, and the level of public engagement; as, together, these control the type of rationality which can be brought to bear on the decision. Instrumental rationality is based on self-interest of individuals, whereas deliberative rationality seeks broader consensus and is more likely to underpin legitimate decisions. The results indicate that the Sustainability Appraisal process, conducted at plan level, is better than EIA, conducted at project level, but still fails to provide conditions that facilitate legitimacy. Game theory also suggests that Sustainability Appraisal is likely to deliver ‘least worst’ outcomes rather than best outcomes when the goals of the assessment process are considered; this may explain the propensity of such ‘least worst’ decisions in practise. On the basis of what can be learned from applying this game theory perspective, it is suggested that environmental assessment processes need to be redesigned and better integrated into decision making in order to guarantee the legitimacy of the decisions made. - Highlights: • Decision legitimacy is defined in terms of game theory. • Game theory is applied to EIA and SA decision windows. • Game theory suggests least worst outcomes prevail. • SA is more likely to be perceived legitimate than EIA.« less

Stochastic evolutionary dynamics in minimum-effort coordination games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Kun; Cong, Rui; Wang, Long

2016-08-01

The minimum-effort coordination game draws recently more attention for the fact that human behavior in this social dilemma is often inconsistent with the predictions of classical game theory. Here, we combine evolutionary game theory and coalescence theory to investigate this game in finite populations. Both analytic results and individual-based simulations show that effort costs play a key role in the evolution of contribution levels, which is in good agreement with those observed experimentally. Besides well-mixed populations, set structured populations have also been taken into consideration. Therein we find that large number of sets and moderate migration rate greatly promote effort levels, especially for high effort costs.

Fixation of competing strategies when interacting agents differ in the time scale of strategy updating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianlei; Weissing, Franz J.; Cao, Ming

2016-09-01

A commonly used assumption in evolutionary game theory is that natural selection acts on individuals in the same time scale; e.g., players use the same frequency to update their strategies. Variation in learning rates within populations suggests that evolutionary game theory may not necessarily be restricted to uniform time scales associated with the game interaction and strategy adaption evolution. In this study, we remove this restricting assumption by dividing the population into fast and slow groups according to the players' strategy updating frequencies and investigate how different strategy compositions of one group influence the evolutionary outcome of the other's fixation probabilities of strategies within its own group. Analytical analysis and numerical calculations are performed to study the evolutionary dynamics of strategies in typical classes of two-player games (prisoner's dilemma game, snowdrift game, and stag-hunt game). The introduction of the heterogeneity in strategy-update time scales leads to substantial changes in the evolution dynamics of strategies. We provide an approximation formula for the fixation probability of mutant types in finite populations and study the outcome of strategy evolution under the weak selection. We find that although heterogeneity in time scales makes the collective evolutionary dynamics more complicated, the possible long-run evolutionary outcome can be effectively predicted under technical assumptions when knowing the population composition and payoff parameters.

Reflexive Control in Operational Art: Designing Emergent Opportunity in the Vicksburg Campaign

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

relating to game theory and deception. This theory relates to a human phenomenon not strictly tied to any specific systems or actors at any level of war... game theory.10 It is worth emphasizing that reflexive control theory is neither synonymous with, nor did it evolve specifically from, maskirovka or... Game of ? And ?," edited by Chet Richards and Chuck Spinney (Defense and the National Interest, 2006). 19 Field Manual 6-0, Mission Command

Bipartite graphs as models of population structures in evolutionary multiplayer games.

PubMed

Peña, Jorge; Rochat, Yannick

2012-01-01

By combining evolutionary game theory and graph theory, "games on graphs" study the evolutionary dynamics of frequency-dependent selection in population structures modeled as geographical or social networks. Networks are usually represented by means of unipartite graphs, and social interactions by two-person games such as the famous prisoner's dilemma. Unipartite graphs have also been used for modeling interactions going beyond pairwise interactions. In this paper, we argue that bipartite graphs are a better alternative to unipartite graphs for describing population structures in evolutionary multiplayer games. To illustrate this point, we make use of bipartite graphs to investigate, by means of computer simulations, the evolution of cooperation under the conventional and the distributed N-person prisoner's dilemma. We show that several implicit assumptions arising from the standard approach based on unipartite graphs (such as the definition of replacement neighborhoods, the intertwining of individual and group diversity, and the large overlap of interaction neighborhoods) can have a large impact on the resulting evolutionary dynamics. Our work provides a clear example of the importance of construction procedures in games on graphs, of the suitability of bigraphs and hypergraphs for computational modeling, and of the importance of concepts from social network analysis such as centrality, centralization and bipartite clustering for the understanding of dynamical processes occurring on networked population structures.

Predictive Game Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolpert, David H.

2005-01-01

Probability theory governs the outcome of a game; there is a distribution over mixed strat.'s, not a single "equilibrium". To predict a single mixed strategy must use our loss function (external to the game's players. Provides a quantification of any strategy's rationality. Prove rationality falls as cost of computation rises (for players who have not previously interacted). All extends to games with varying numbers of players.

An Evaluation of Neurogames®: A Collection of Computer Games Designed to Improve Literacy and Numeracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Misbah Mahmood; Reed, Jonathan

2011-01-01

Games Based Learning needs to be linked to good learning theory to become an important educational intervention. This study examines the effectiveness of a collection of computer games called Neurogames®. Neurogames are a group of computer games aimed at improving reading and basic maths and are designed using neuropsychological theory. The…

Games and Diabetes: A Review Investigating Theoretical Frameworks, Evaluation Methodologies, and Opportunities for Design Grounded in Learning Theories.

PubMed

Lazem, Shaimaa; Webster, Mary; Holmes, Wayne; Wolf, Motje

2015-09-02

Here we review 18 articles that describe the design and evaluation of 1 or more games for diabetes from technical, methodological, and theoretical perspectives. We undertook searches covering the period 2010 to May 2015 in the ACM, IEEE, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, and Google Scholar online databases using the keywords "children," "computer games," "diabetes," "games," "type 1," and "type 2" in various Boolean combinations. The review sets out to establish, for future research, an understanding of the current landscape of digital games designed for children with diabetes. We briefly explored the use and impact of well-established learning theories in such games. The most frequently mentioned theoretical frameworks were social cognitive theory and social constructivism. Due to the limitations of the reported evaluation methodologies, little evidence was found to support the strong promise of games for diabetes. Furthermore, we could not establish a relation between design features and the game outcomes. We argue that an in-depth discussion about the extent to which learning theories could and should be manifested in the design decisions is required. © 2015 Diabetes Technology Society.

Cooperation in two-person evolutionary games with complex personality profiles.

PubMed

Płatkowski, Tadeusz

2010-10-21

We propose a theory of evolution of social systems which generalizes the standard proportional fitness rule of the evolutionary game theory. The formalism is applied to describe the dynamics of two-person one-shot population games. In particular it predicts the non-zero level of cooperation in the long run for the Prisoner's Dilemma games, the increase of the fraction of cooperators for general classes of the Snow-Drift game, and stable nonzero cooperation level for coordination games. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Restoring Fun to Game Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixit, Avinash

2005-01-01

The author suggests methods for teaching game theory at an introductory level, using interactive games to be played in the classroom or in computer clusters, clips from movies to be screened and discussed, and excerpts from novels and historical books to be read and discussed.

Digital Gaming and Pediatric Obesity: At the Intersection of Science and Social Policy.

PubMed

Staiano, Amanda E; Calvert, Sandra L

2012-03-01

Children and adolescents in developed countries are heavily immersed in digital media, creating an inexpensive, far-reaching marketing opportunity for the food industry and the gaming industry. However, exposure to nonnutritious food and beverage advertisements combined with the use of stationary media create a conflict between entertainment and public health. Using the popular digital gaming platforms advergames (online games that market branded products) and exergames (video games that involves gross motor activity for play) as exemplars, the following article provides an analysis of the negative and positive health impacts of digital gaming as they relate specifically to overweight and obesity outcomes for children and adolescents. Theoretical explanations including the food marketing defense model, persuasion knowledge model, and social cognitive theory are used to explain the influence of gaming on young players' health. Throughout the article, we discuss the role of public policy to encourage the development and use of health-promoting digital games as an innovative, effective tool to combat the pediatric obesity crisis.

Digital Gaming and Pediatric Obesity: At the Intersection of Science and Social Policy

PubMed Central

Staiano, Amanda E.; Calvert, Sandra L.

2012-01-01

Children and adolescents in developed countries are heavily immersed in digital media, creating an inexpensive, far-reaching marketing opportunity for the food industry and the gaming industry. However, exposure to nonnutritious food and beverage advertisements combined with the use of stationary media create a conflict between entertainment and public health. Using the popular digital gaming platforms advergames (online games that market branded products) and exergames (video games that involves gross motor activity for play) as exemplars, the following article provides an analysis of the negative and positive health impacts of digital gaming as they relate specifically to overweight and obesity outcomes for children and adolescents. Theoretical explanations including the food marketing defense model, persuasion knowledge model, and social cognitive theory are used to explain the influence of gaming on young players’ health. Throughout the article, we discuss the role of public policy to encourage the development and use of health-promoting digital games as an innovative, effective tool to combat the pediatric obesity crisis. PMID:22545068

Sex differences in Nintendo Wii performance as expected from hunter-gatherer selection.

PubMed

Cherney, Isabelle D; Poss, Jordan L

2008-06-01

To test the hunter-gatherer theory of cognitive sex differences, men and women each played four video games on a Wii console: two games simulating skills necessary for hunting (navigation and shooting) and two games simulating skills necessary for gathering (fine motor and visual search). Men outperformed women on the two hunting games, whereas there were no sex differences on the gathering skill games. The findings are discussed in terms of evolutionary psychology theory.

The Economics of Terrorism: Economics Methods of Analysis in the Study of Terrorism and Counterterrorism

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

addition to outlining definitions, data sources, choice theory , game theory , and the economic consequences of terrorism, this study identifies how...stratégiques. Les auteurs sont le Maj Alain Rollin, le Maj Meaghan Setter et Mme Rachel Lea Heide, Ph.D., sous la direction du Lcol William Yee...18 7 Choice Theory and its Applications 7.1

Virtual muscularity: a content analysis of male video game characters.

PubMed

Martins, Nicole; Williams, Dmitri C; Ratan, Rabindra A; Harrison, Kristen

2011-01-01

The 150 top-selling video games were content analyzed to study representations of male bodies. Human males in the games were captured via screenshot and body parts measured. These measurements were then compared to anthropometric data drawn from a representative sample of 1120 North American men. Characters at high levels of photorealism were larger than the average American male, but these characters did not mirror the V-shaped ideal found in mainstream media. Characters at low levels of photorealism were also larger than the average American male, but these characters were so much larger that they appeared cartoonish. Idealized male characters were more likely to be found in games for children than in games for adults. Implications for cultivation theory are discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Load Balancing in Stochastic Networks: Algorithms, Analysis, and Game Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-16

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The classic randomized load balancing model is the so-called supermarket model, which describes a system in which...P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 mean-field limits, supermarket model, thresholds, game, randomized load balancing REPORT...balancing model is the so-called supermarket model, which describes a system in which customers arrive to a service center with n parallel servers according

Much Ado about Something: Violent Video Game Effects and a School of Red Herring--Reply to Ferguson and Kilburn (2010)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bushman, Brad J.; Rothstein, Hannah R.; Anderson, Craig A.

2010-01-01

In this article we reply to C. J. Ferguson and J. Kilburn's (2010) critique of our meta-analysis on violent video game effects (C. A. Anderson et al., 2010). We rely on well-established methodological and statistical theory and on empirical data to show that claims of bias and misinterpretation on our part are simply wrong. One should not…

Evolutionary Stability in the Traveler's Dilemma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Andrew T.

2009-01-01

The traveler's dilemma is a generalization of the prisoner's dilemma which shows clearly a paradox of game theory. In the traveler's dilemma, the strategy chosen by analysis and theory seems obviously wrong intuitively. Here we develop a measure of evolutionary stability and show that the evolutionarily stable equilibrium is in some sense not very…

The Application of Gaming Theory in Health Care.

PubMed

Elzein, Ashley; Drenkard, Karen; Deyo, Patricia; Swartwout, Ellen

2015-01-01

As the US health care system moves rapidly toward a population health management focus in communities and care settings, the chief nursing officer has an opportunity to lead innovation efforts for patient care. One innovative strategy for use to influence patient behavior change, ongoing clinical education, and prelicensure education is the application of gaming theory into learning strategies. With the ever-increasing emphasis the general public is placing on social media and online gaming, there has been a significant push by the health sector in recent years to harness this medium for use in health management, education, and behavior change. A number of organizations and insurers have dedicated significant resources to researching and developing games and apps to help patients manage diseases, track self-management activities, and motivate behavior change for healthy lifestyles. This article shares information about gaming theory and its application to health care including a review of the science behind the theory, the use of technology, and gaming education strategies for both patients and clinicians.

Consequences of players' dismissal in professional soccer: a crisis-related analysis of group-size effects.

PubMed

Bar-Eli, Michael; Tenenbaum, Gershon; Geister, Sabine

2006-10-01

This study documents the effect of players' dismissals on team performance in professional soccer. Our aim was to determine whether the punishment meted out for unacceptable player behaviour results in reduced team performance. The official web site of the German Soccer Association was used for coding data from games played in the first Bundesliga between the 1963 - 64 and 2003 - 04 (n = 41) seasons. A sample of 743 games where at least one red card was issued was used to test hypotheses derived from crisis theory (Bar-Eli & Tenenbaum, 1989a). Players' dismissals weaken a sanctioned team in terms of the goals and final score following the punishment. The chances of a sanctioned team scoring or winning were substantially reduced following the sanction. Most cards were issued in the later stages of matches. The statistics pertaining to outcome results as a function of game standing, game location, and time phases - all strongly support the view that teams can be considered conceptually similar to individuals regarding the link between stress and performance. To further develop the concept of team and individual psychological performance crisis in competition, it is recommended that reversal theory (Apter, 1982) and self-monitoring and distraction theories (Baumeister, 1984) be included in the design of future investigations pertaining to choking under pressure.

Non-cooperative game theory in biology and cooperative reasoning in humans.

PubMed

Kabalak, Alihan; Smirnova, Elena; Jost, Jürgen

2015-06-01

The readiness for spontaneous cooperation together with the assumptions that others share this cooperativity has been identified as a fundamental feature that distinguishes humans from other animals, including the great apes. At the same time, cooperativity presents an evolutionary puzzle because non-cooperators do better in a group of cooperators. We develop here an analysis of the process leading to cooperation in terms of rationality concepts, game theory and epistemic logic. We are, however, not attempting to reconstruct the actual evolutionary process. We rather want to provide the logical structure underlying cooperation in order to understand why cooperation is possible and what kind of reasoning and beliefs would lead to cooperative decision-making. Game theory depends on an underlying common belief in non-cooperative rationality of the players, and cooperativity similarly can utilize a common belief in cooperative rationality as its basis. We suggest a weaker concept of rational decision-making in games that encompasses both types of decision-making. We build this up in stages, starting from simple optimization, then using anticipation of the reaction of others, to finally arrive at reflexive and cooperative reasoning. While each stage is more difficult than the preceding, importantly, we also identify a reduction of complexity achieved by the consistent application of higher stage reasoning.

Evolutionary game theory: cells as players.

PubMed

Hummert, Sabine; Bohl, Katrin; Basanta, David; Deutsch, Andreas; Werner, Sarah; Theissen, Günter; Schroeter, Anja; Schuster, Stefan

2014-12-01

In two papers we review game theory applications in biology below the level of cognitive living beings. It can be seen that evolution and natural selection replace the rationality of the actors appropriately. Even in these micro worlds, competing situations and cooperative relationships can be found and modeled by evolutionary game theory. Also those units of the lowest levels of life show different strategies for different environmental situations or different partners. We give a wide overview of evolutionary game theory applications to microscopic units. In this first review situations on the cellular level are tackled. In particular metabolic problems are discussed, such as ATP-producing pathways, secretion of public goods and cross-feeding. Further topics are cyclic competition among more than two partners, intra- and inter-cellular signalling, the struggle between pathogens and the immune system, and the interactions of cancer cells. Moreover, we introduce the theoretical basics to encourage scientists to investigate problems in cell biology and molecular biology by evolutionary game theory.

A Model for Comparing Game Theory and Artificial Intelligence Decision Making Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

I V. Re-visions to PALANTIR Program .. .. .... .... .... ..... 20 4.1 Rewritten in the C Programming Lanigiiage...The PALANTIR , created by Capt Robert Palmer, had two uses: to train per- sonnel on the use of satellites and to provide insight into the movements...zero-sum game theory approach to reach decisions (11:23). This approach is discussed further in Chapter 2. 2 Although PALANTIR used game theory players

Game theory and environmental disputes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, Alan

1983-09-01

The courts have provided the traditional battleground for conflicts between environmental interest groups and those whose actions in some way have an adverse impact on the environment The judicial process is a time-consuming one in which all sides usually must concede to some points. Environmental disputes involve complex scientific issues which the court system is not set up to comprehend, so that the process gives the parties to a dispute the sense of having lost control of their own destinies. An increasing number of parties to environmental disputes are turning to negotiation, or mediation, as an alternative in which they can be active parties in the settlement-making process rather than the victims of a court-imposed solution When do the parties to a dispute choose a negotiated settlement over a court battle? To what extent does each party make the concessions necessary to reach an agreement? These questions can be answered by the game theory that provides a model for analyzing the negotiation process. This paper will apply game theory to two environmental conflict cases A series of questions pertinent to the analysis of all environmental disputes will be raised

Digital Game-Based Learning Supports Student Motivation, Cognitive Success, and Performance Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woo, Jeng-Chung

2014-01-01

Traditional multimedia learning is primarily based on the cognitive load concept of information processing theory. Recent digital game-based learning (DGBL) studies have focused on exploring content support for learning motivation and related game characteristics. Motivation, volition, and performance (MVP) theory indicates that cognitive load and…

A Game-Theoretic Model of Grounding for Referential Communication Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, William

2009-01-01

Conversational grounding theory proposes that language use is a form of rational joint action, by which dialog participants systematically and collaboratively add to their common ground of shared knowledge and beliefs. Following recent work applying "game theory" to pragmatics, this thesis develops a game-theoretic model of grounding that…

Algorithm for Overcoming the Curse of Dimensionality for Certain Non-convex Hamilton-Jacobi Equations, Projections and Differential Games

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-01

Algorithm for Overcoming the Curse of Dimensionality for Certain Non-convex Hamilton-Jacobi Equations, Projections and Differential Games Yat Tin...subproblems. Our approach is expected to have wide applications in continuous dynamic games , control theory problems, and elsewhere. Mathematics...differential dynamic games , control theory problems, and dynamical systems coming from the physical world, e.g. [11]. An important application is to

Implications of Modern Decision Science for Military Decision-Support Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

B. Another major challenge is learning how to exploit the technology of modern recreational games , including massively parallel online activities... online .7 In preparing this monograph, we also concluded that the most valuable aspects of game theory for high-level decision support are the basic...Philosophy, online at http://plato.stanford.edu/ entries/ game -theory. 8 In one example that still rankles, some Cold War game theorists (and military

Quantum gambling using mesoscopic ring qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pakuła, Ireneusz

2007-07-01

Quantum Game Theory provides us with new tools for practising games and some other risk related enterprices like, for example, gambling. The two party gambling protocol presented by Goldenberg {\\it et al} is one of the simplest yet still hard to implement applications of Quantum Game Theory. We propose potential physical realisation of the quantum gambling protocol with use of three mesoscopic ring qubits. We point out problems in implementation of such game.

Networks and games for precision medicine.

PubMed

Biane, Célia; Delaplace, Franck; Klaudel, Hanna

2016-12-01

Recent advances in omics technologies provide the leverage for the emergence of precision medicine that aims at personalizing therapy to patient. In this undertaking, computational methods play a central role for assisting physicians in their clinical decision-making by combining data analysis and systems biology modelling. Complex diseases such as cancer or diabetes arise from the intricate interplay of various biological molecules. Therefore, assessing drug efficiency requires to study the effects of elementary perturbations caused by diseases on relevant biological networks. In this paper, we propose a computational framework called Network-Action Game applied to best drug selection problem combining Game Theory and discrete models of dynamics (Boolean networks). Decision-making is modelled using Game Theory that defines the process of drug selection among alternative possibilities, while Boolean networks are used to model the effects of the interplay between disease and drugs actions on the patient's molecular system. The actions/strategies of disease and drugs are focused on arc alterations of the interactome. The efficiency of this framework has been evaluated for drug prediction on a model of breast cancer signalling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of Game Theory Approaches in Routing Protocols for Wireless Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javidi, Mohammad M.; Aliahmadipour, Laya

2011-09-01

An important and essential issue for wireless networks is routing protocol design that is a major technical challenge due to the function of the network. Game theory is a powerful mathematical tool that analyzes the strategic interactions among multiple decision makers and the results of researches show that applied game theory in routing protocol lead to improvement the network performance through reduce overhead and motivates selfish nodes to collaborate in the network. This paper presents a review and comparison for typical representatives of routing protocols designed that applied game theory approaches for various wireless networks such as ad hoc networks, mobile ad hoc networks and sensor networks that all of them lead to improve the network performance.

Decision Analysis for Multicandidate Voting Systems. Applications of Elementary Decision Analysis to Political Science. [and] An Application of Voting Theory to Congress. Applications of Decision Theory and Game Theory to American Politics. Modules and Monographs in Undergraduate Mathematics and Its Applications Project. UMAP Units 384 and 386.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Samuel, III; Enelow, James M.

This document consists of two modules. The first studies a variety of multicandidate voting systems, including approval, Borda, and cumulative voting, using a model which takes account of a voter's intensity of preference for candidates. The voter's optimal strategy is investigated for each voting system using decision criteria under uncertainty…

Gaming the System: A Game Theory Analysis of Theater Airborne ISR

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-13

2-0, 50. 18 Edgar Schein , Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3 rd ed. (San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass, 2004), 17. 19 The absence of the... Edgar H . Organizational Culture and Leadership. Third Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004. Shanker, Thom. “At Odds with Air Force, Army Adds...level and it is reasonable to assume that the land components will play a similar role in future conflicts. Dr. Edward Schein defines

Higher Education Governance as Language Games: A Wittgensteinian Case Study of the Breakdown of Governance at the London School of Economics 2004-2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenhalgh, Trisha

2015-01-01

This paper calls for a more detailed study of social practices in the analysis of governance failures. Using the Woolf report on the breakdown of governance at the London School of Economics as a case study and Wittgenstein's notion of language games as an analytic lens, the author argues that widely used institutional and structural theories of…

Videogames, Tools for Change: A Study Based on Activity Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Méndez, Laura; Lacasa, Pilar

2015-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to provide a framework for analysis from which to interpret the transformations that take place, as perceived by the participants, when commercial video games are used in the classroom. We will show how Activity Theory (AT) is able to explain and interpret these changes. Method: Case studies are…

Bipartite Graphs as Models of Population Structures in Evolutionary Multiplayer Games

PubMed Central

Peña, Jorge; Rochat, Yannick

2012-01-01

By combining evolutionary game theory and graph theory, “games on graphs” study the evolutionary dynamics of frequency-dependent selection in population structures modeled as geographical or social networks. Networks are usually represented by means of unipartite graphs, and social interactions by two-person games such as the famous prisoner’s dilemma. Unipartite graphs have also been used for modeling interactions going beyond pairwise interactions. In this paper, we argue that bipartite graphs are a better alternative to unipartite graphs for describing population structures in evolutionary multiplayer games. To illustrate this point, we make use of bipartite graphs to investigate, by means of computer simulations, the evolution of cooperation under the conventional and the distributed N-person prisoner’s dilemma. We show that several implicit assumptions arising from the standard approach based on unipartite graphs (such as the definition of replacement neighborhoods, the intertwining of individual and group diversity, and the large overlap of interaction neighborhoods) can have a large impact on the resulting evolutionary dynamics. Our work provides a clear example of the importance of construction procedures in games on graphs, of the suitability of bigraphs and hypergraphs for computational modeling, and of the importance of concepts from social network analysis such as centrality, centralization and bipartite clustering for the understanding of dynamical processes occurring on networked population structures. PMID:22970237

On Nash Equilibrium and Evolutionarily Stable States That Are Not Characterised by the Folk Theorem

PubMed Central

Li, Jiawei; Kendall, Graham

2015-01-01

In evolutionary game theory, evolutionarily stable states are characterised by the folk theorem because exact solutions to the replicator equation are difficult to obtain. It is generally assumed that the folk theorem, which is the fundamental theory for non-cooperative games, defines all Nash equilibria in infinitely repeated games. Here, we prove that Nash equilibria that are not characterised by the folk theorem do exist. By adopting specific reactive strategies, a group of players can be better off by coordinating their actions in repeated games. We call it a type-k equilibrium when a group of k players coordinate their actions and they have no incentive to deviate from their strategies simultaneously. The existence and stability of the type-k equilibrium in general games is discussed. This study shows that the sets of Nash equilibria and evolutionarily stable states have greater cardinality than classic game theory has predicted in many repeated games. PMID:26288088

Teaching Public Goods Theory with a Classroom Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pickhardt, Michael

2005-01-01

The author extends the work of Holt and Laury (1997) on a simple noncomputerized card game for teaching the essential aspects of public goods theory. He suggests a course of several lectures and discusses the behavior of subjects in various game sessions. Among other things, the results provide experimental evidence with respect to the private…

The Quark Box--A Particle Physics Game.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swedler, James A.

This game is designed to be used in junior and senior high school science classes with the purpose of introducing quark theory to students. This material expands on atomic theory and subatomic structure. Quarks are the fundamental building blocks of protons and neutrons. The game will teach students about the standard model of elementary…

Using Insights from Game Theory in Evaluating Tenured Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyman, Ronald T.

Using game theory as a model, suggestions are made to improve tenured public school teachers' individualized professional improvement plans. Seven basic concepts are discussed: (1) the game concept, a situation which involves decision making by the participants; (2) strategy--a plan for behavior under varied circumstances; (3) payoff--the value of…

A Review of Humor for Computer Games: Play, Laugh and More

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dormann, Claire; Biddle, Robert

2009-01-01

Computer games are now becoming ways to communicate, teach, and influence attitudes and behavior. In this article, we address the role of humor in computer games, especially in support of serious purposes. We begin with a review of the main theories of humor, including superiority, incongruity, and relief. These theories and their…

Game theory and strategy in medical training.

PubMed

Blake, Amy; Carroll, Bryan T

2016-11-01

This paper analyses how game theory can provide a framework for understanding the strategic decision-making that occurs in everyday scenarios in medical training and practice, and ultimately serves as a tool for improving the work environment and patient care. Game theory has been applied to a variety of fields outside of its native economics, but has not been thoroughly studied in the context of health care provision. The paper discusses four of the most common 'games' and applies each to a scenario in medicine to provide new insight on the incentives and drivers for certain types of behaviour and a deeper understanding of why certain results are valued more strongly than others. Using game theory as an integrative tool, in conjunction with good judgement and a sound knowledge base, trainees and physicians can work to better recognise where competing priorities exist, understand the motivations and interactions of the various players, and learn to adjust their approaches in order to 'change the game' when their preferred outcome is not the most likely one. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Implementation of quantum game theory simulations using Python

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madrid S., A.

2013-05-01

This paper provides some examples about quantum games simulated in Python's programming language. The quantum games have been developed with the Sympy Python library, which permits solving quantum problems in a symbolic form. The application of these methods of quantum mechanics to game theory gives us more possibility to achieve results not possible before. To illustrate the results of these methods, in particular, there have been simulated the quantum battle of the sexes, the prisoner's dilemma and card games. These solutions are able to exceed the classic bottle neck and obtain optimal quantum strategies. In this form, python demonstrated that is possible to do more advanced and complicated quantum games algorithms.

Spatial evolutionary games with weak selection.

PubMed

Nanda, Mridu; Durrett, Richard

2017-06-06

Recently, a rigorous mathematical theory has been developed for spatial games with weak selection, i.e., when the payoff differences between strategies are small. The key to the analysis is that when space and time are suitably rescaled, the spatial model converges to the solution of a partial differential equation (PDE). This approach can be used to analyze all [Formula: see text] games, but there are a number of [Formula: see text] games for which the behavior of the limiting PDE is not known. In this paper, we give rules for determining the behavior of a large class of [Formula: see text] games and check their validity using simulation. In words, the effect of space is equivalent to making changes in the payoff matrix, and once this is done, the behavior of the spatial game can be predicted from the behavior of the replicator equation for the modified game. We say predicted here because in some cases the behavior of the spatial game is different from that of the replicator equation for the modified game. For example, if a rock-paper-scissors game has a replicator equation that spirals out to the boundary, space stabilizes the system and produces an equilibrium.

Spatial evolutionary games with weak selection

PubMed Central

Nanda, Mridu; Durrett, Richard

2017-01-01

Recently, a rigorous mathematical theory has been developed for spatial games with weak selection, i.e., when the payoff differences between strategies are small. The key to the analysis is that when space and time are suitably rescaled, the spatial model converges to the solution of a partial differential equation (PDE). This approach can be used to analyze all 2×2 games, but there are a number of 3×3 games for which the behavior of the limiting PDE is not known. In this paper, we give rules for determining the behavior of a large class of 3×3 games and check their validity using simulation. In words, the effect of space is equivalent to making changes in the payoff matrix, and once this is done, the behavior of the spatial game can be predicted from the behavior of the replicator equation for the modified game. We say predicted here because in some cases the behavior of the spatial game is different from that of the replicator equation for the modified game. For example, if a rock–paper–scissors game has a replicator equation that spirals out to the boundary, space stabilizes the system and produces an equilibrium. PMID:28533405

Massively Multiplayer Online Games as Living Laboratories: Opportunities and Pitfalls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducheneaut, Nicolas

The digital nature of online games makes them particularly amenable to large-scale, automated data collection and analysis; so researchers have begun to use them as living laboratories to test or refine the existing theories of human behavior. On the basis of several years of intensive data collection in several massively multiplayer online games, this chapter addresses three problems concerning validity and generalizability that must be taken into account. First, each game has a set of laws that steer player behavior, thereby introducing confounding factors that have to be taken into account by the researcher. Second, games attract skewed samples of players, and players may adopt transformed personalities inside the game world, which puts into question the validity of extending findings from observations in the digital realm into the physical one. Third, the lack of a clear boundary defining the "game space," illustrated by the many websites and forums for popular games, raises the question of whether online games themselves capture the totality of the user's experience. The problematic mapping between "real-world" behaviors and those in online games presents research opportunities as well as pitfalls that need to be avoided.

A cooperative game theory approach to transmission planning in power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contreras, Javier

The rapid restructuring of the electric power industry from a vertically integrated entity into a decentralized industry has given rise to complex problems. In particular, the transmission component of the electric power system requires new methodologies to fully capture this emerging competitive industry. Game theory models are used to model strategic interactions in a competitive environment. This thesis presents a new decentralized framework to study the transmission network expansion problem using cooperative game theory. First, the players and the rules of the game are defined. Second, a coalition formation scheme is developed. Finally, the optimized cost of expansion is allocated based on the history of the coalition formation.

[Technique-based game for daycare visitors with and without dementia : Effects, heuristics and correlates].

PubMed

Ehret, S; Putze, F; Miller-Teynor, H; Kruse, A; Schultz, T

2017-01-01

Playing of old people with or without dementia have not yet been substantially investigated. This study deals with the acceptance and impact of a tablet-based memory game, which was played on a weekly or semiweekly basis by visitors in two daycare units. Within the framework of focus groups the technical system was adapted for elderly users. The video-assisted data at the level of the game and the dynamics were investigated with respect to interaction and communication. The analysis of psychological observation forms and game protocols, which were conducted over a period of 3 months, indicated different effects of the game on psychosocial and cognitive activation. The individual memory cards in particular served as an intensification of communication and a stimulation of episodic memory. Finally, with video analysis during the whole game setting three theoretical relationship patterns of the spheres playing and speech could be depicted. Coherence, separation and incoherence of playing and speech are different forms of interaction in which individual and collaborative competences of people with and without dementia can be visualized. Furthermore, the study provides evidence for the cultural theory of playing by Huizinga.

Game theory as a conceptual framework for managing insect pests.

PubMed

Brown, Joel S; Staňková, Kateřina

2017-06-01

For over 100 years it has been recognized that insect pests evolve resistance to chemical pesticides. More recently, managers have advocated restrained use of pesticides, crop rotation, the use of multiple pesticides, and pesticide-free sanctuaries as resistance management practices. Game theory provides a conceptual framework for combining the resistance strategies of the insects and the control strategies of the pest manager into a unified conceptual and modelling framework. Game theory can contrast an ecologically enlightened application of pesticides with an evolutionarily enlightened one. In the former case the manager only considers ecological consequences whereas the latter anticipates the evolutionary response of the pests. Broader applications of this game theory approach include anti-biotic resistance, fisheries management and therapy resistance in cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching Prospect Theory with the "Deal or No Deal" Game Show

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Ardith; Bittner, Teresa; Makrigeorgis, Christos; Johnson, Gloria; Haefner, Joseph

2010-01-01

Recent evidence indicates that decision makers are more sensitive to potential losses than gains. Loss aversion psychology has led behavioural economists to look beyond expected utility by developing "prospect theory." We demonstrate this theory using the "Deal or No Deal" game show.

Tools in HRD. Symposium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2002

This document contains three papers from a symposium on tools in human resource development (HRD). "Game Theory Methodology in HRD" (Thomas J. Chermack, Richard A. Swanson) explores the utility of game theory in helping the HRD profession address the complexity of integrating multiple theories for disciplinary understanding and…

Concepts and Methods in Multi-Person Coordination and Control.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

games ", in: E . 0. Roxin, P. T. Liu, R.L. Sternberg, eds., Differential Games and Control Theory II, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 201-228. [11] Baqar...New York. (43] Blaquiere, A. (1973), ed., Topics in Differential Games , Nowth-Holland, Amsterdam. (44] Burger, E . (1966), Einfihrunx in die Theorie der...Equilibria in Stochastic Dynamic Games of Stackel- L. berg Tyve, Ph.D. Thesis, M.I.T., Electronic Systems Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts. [51] Chen, C. I

Wittgenstein's language games as a theory of learning disabilities.

PubMed

Timmons, Stephen

2006-01-01

Sociological approaches to the understanding of learning disabilities are perhaps not as fully developed as they might be. Wittgenstein's notion of the language game is elucidated, and its relevance to the analysis of learning disabilities as a social phenomenon is explained. This gives some insight into an alternative conception of what learning disabilities might be, and why people who are classified as having learning disabilities continue, to some extent, to be excluded from full participation in society.

Simulating Serious Games: A Discrete-Time Computational Model Based on Cognitive Flow Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westera, Wim

2018-01-01

This paper presents a computational model for simulating how people learn from serious games. While avoiding the combinatorial explosion of a games micro-states, the model offers a meso-level pathfinding approach, which is guided by cognitive flow theory and various concepts from learning sciences. It extends a basic, existing model by exposing…

Balancing Play, Meaning and Reality: The Design Philosophy of LEVEE PATROLLER

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harteveld, Casper; Guimaraes, Rui; Mayer, Igor S.; Bidarra, Rafael

2010-01-01

Most serious games have been developed without a proper and comprehensive design theory. To contribute to the development of such a theory, this article presents the underlying design philosophy of LEVEE PATROLLER, a game to train levee patrollers in the Netherlands. This philosophy stipulates that the design of a digital serious game is a…

Learner-Centred Pedagogy for Swim Coaching: A Complex Learning Theory-Informed Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Light, Richard

2014-01-01

While constructivist theories of learning have been widely drawn on to understand and explain learning in games when using game-based approaches their use to inform pedagogy beyond games is limited. In particular, there has been little interest in applying constructivist perspectives on learning to sports in which technique is of prime importance.…

Emphasizing Saddle Points through Game Theory: A Classroom Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorrington, Jenny; Jones, Michael A.

2000-01-01

Introduces the necessary game-theoretic background and explains how game-theoretic experiments of the Matching Pennies game can be used as a classroom activity to develop intuition about saddle points. (Author/ASK)

An Introduction to Multi-player, Multi-choice Quantum Games: Quantum Minority Games & Kolkata Restaurant Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharif, Puya; Heydari, Hoshang

We give a self contained introduction to a few quantum game protocols, starting with the quantum version of the two-player two-choice game of Prisoners dilemma, followed by an n-player generalization trough the quantum minority games, and finishing with a contribution towards an n-player m-choice generalization with a quantum version of a three-player Kolkata restaurant problem. We have omitted some technical details accompanying these protocols, and instead laid the focus on presenting some general aspects of the field as a whole. This review contains an introduction to the formalism of quantum information theory, as well as to important game theoretical concepts, and is aimed to work as a review suiting economists and game theorists with limited knowledge of quantum physics as well as to physicists with limited knowledge of game theory.

Quantum Barro-Gordon game in monetary economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samadi, Ali Hussein; Montakhab, Afshin; Marzban, Hussein; Owjimehr, Sakine

2018-01-01

Classical game theory addresses decision problems in multi-agent environment where one rational agent's decision affects other agents' payoffs. Game theory has widespread application in economic, social and biological sciences. In recent years quantum versions of classical games have been proposed and studied. In this paper, we consider a quantum version of the classical Barro-Gordon game which captures the problem of time inconsistency in monetary economics. Such time inconsistency refers to the temptation of weak policy maker to implement high inflation when the public expects low inflation. The inconsistency arises when the public punishes the weak policy maker in the next cycle. We first present a quantum version of the Barro-Gordon game. Next, we show that in a particular case of the quantum game, time-consistent Nash equilibrium could be achieved when public expects low inflation, thus resolving the game.

Prisoner's Dilemma and Chicken: A Communications Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dauber, Cori

1990-01-01

Analyzes nuclear strategic doctrine by applying understandings of human communication processes to deterrence theory and game theory. Focuses on communication as risk. Demonstrates flaws in game theory because of its mechanistic view, stressing that communication is a process not an event, and actions are bound by cultural dispositions. Advocates…

Evolutionary game theory: molecules as players.

PubMed

Bohl, Katrin; Hummert, Sabine; Werner, Sarah; Basanta, David; Deutsch, Andreas; Schuster, Stefan; Theissen, Günter; Schroeter, Anja

2014-12-01

In this and an accompanying paper we review the use of game theoretical concepts in cell biology and molecular biology. This review focuses on the subcellular level by considering viruses, genes, and molecules as players. We discuss in which way catalytic RNA can be treated by game theory. Moreover, genes can compete for success in replication and can have different strategies in interactions with other genetic elements. Also transposable elements, or "jumping genes", can act as players because they usually bear different traits or strategies. Viruses compete in the case of co-infecting a host cell. Proteins interact in a game theoretical sense when forming heterodimers. Finally, we describe how the Shapley value can be applied to enzymes in metabolic pathways. We show that game theory can be successfully applied to describe and analyse scenarios at the molecular level resulting in counterintuitive conclusions.

Game theoretic power allocation and waveform selection for satellite communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Zhihui; Wang, Gang; Tian, Xin; Shen, Dan; Pham, Khanh; Blasch, Erik; Chen, Genshe

2015-05-01

Game theory is a useful method to model interactions between agents with conflicting interests. In this paper, we set up a Game Theoretic Model for Satellite Communications (SATCOM) to solve the interaction between the transmission pair (blue side) and the jammer (red side) to reach a Nash Equilibrium (NE). First, the IFT Game Application Model (iGAM) for SATCOM is formulated to improve the utility of the transmission pair while considering the interference from a jammer. Specifically, in our framework, the frame error rate performance of different modulation and coding schemes is used in the game theoretic solution. Next, the game theoretic analysis shows that the transmission pair can choose the optimal waveform and power given the received power from the jammer. We also describe how the jammer chooses the optimal power given the waveform and power allocation from the transmission pair. Finally, simulations are implemented for the iGAM and the simulation results show the effectiveness of the SATCOM power allocation, waveform selection scheme, and jamming mitigation.

Strong Stackelberg reasoning in symmetric games: An experimental replication and extension

PubMed Central

Colman, Andrew M.; Lawrence, Catherine L.

2014-01-01

In common interest games in which players are motivated to coordinate their strategies to achieve a jointly optimal outcome, orthodox game theory provides no general reason or justification for choosing the required strategies. In the simplest cases, where the optimal strategies are intuitively obvious, human decision makers generally coordinate without difficulty, but how they achieve this is poorly understood. Most theories seeking to explain strategic coordination have limited applicability, or require changes to the game specification, or introduce implausible assumptions or radical departures from fundamental game-theoretic assumptions. The theory of strong Stackelberg reasoning, according to which players choose strategies that would maximize their own payoffs if their co-players could invariably anticipate any strategy and respond with a best reply to it, avoids these problems and explains strategic coordination in all dyadic common interest games. Previous experimental evidence has provided evidence for strong Stackelberg reasoning in asymmetric games. Here we report evidence from two experiments consistent with players being influenced by strong Stackelberg reasoning in a wide variety of symmetric 3 × 3 games but tending to revert to other choice criteria when strong Stackelberg reasoning generates small payoffs. PMID:24688846

Strong Stackelberg reasoning in symmetric games: An experimental replication and extension.

PubMed

Pulford, Briony D; Colman, Andrew M; Lawrence, Catherine L

2014-01-01

In common interest games in which players are motivated to coordinate their strategies to achieve a jointly optimal outcome, orthodox game theory provides no general reason or justification for choosing the required strategies. In the simplest cases, where the optimal strategies are intuitively obvious, human decision makers generally coordinate without difficulty, but how they achieve this is poorly understood. Most theories seeking to explain strategic coordination have limited applicability, or require changes to the game specification, or introduce implausible assumptions or radical departures from fundamental game-theoretic assumptions. The theory of strong Stackelberg reasoning, according to which players choose strategies that would maximize their own payoffs if their co-players could invariably anticipate any strategy and respond with a best reply to it, avoids these problems and explains strategic coordination in all dyadic common interest games. Previous experimental evidence has provided evidence for strong Stackelberg reasoning in asymmetric games. Here we report evidence from two experiments consistent with players being influenced by strong Stackelberg reasoning in a wide variety of symmetric 3 × 3 games but tending to revert to other choice criteria when strong Stackelberg reasoning generates small payoffs.

Games and Diabetes

PubMed Central

Lazem, Shaimaa; Webster, Mary; Holmes, Wayne; Wolf, Motje

2015-01-01

Here we review 18 articles that describe the design and evaluation of 1 or more games for diabetes from technical, methodological, and theoretical perspectives. We undertook searches covering the period 2010 to May 2015 in the ACM, IEEE, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, and Google Scholar online databases using the keywords “children,” “computer games,” “diabetes,” “games,” “type 1,” and “type 2” in various Boolean combinations. The review sets out to establish, for future research, an understanding of the current landscape of digital games designed for children with diabetes. We briefly explored the use and impact of well-established learning theories in such games. The most frequently mentioned theoretical frameworks were social cognitive theory and social constructivism. Due to the limitations of the reported evaluation methodologies, little evidence was found to support the strong promise of games for diabetes. Furthermore, we could not establish a relation between design features and the game outcomes. We argue that an in-depth discussion about the extent to which learning theories could and should be manifested in the design decisions is required. PMID:26337753

Design and evaluation of a computer game to promote a healthy diet for young adults.

PubMed

Peng, Wei

2009-03-01

This article reports the development and evaluation of a computer game (RightWay Café) as a special medium to promote a healthy diet for young adults. Structural features of computer games, such as interactive tailoring, role playing, the element of fun, and narrative, were operationalized in the RightWay Café game to afford behavior rehearsal in a safe and entertaining way. Theories such as the health belief model, social cognitive theory, and theory of reasoned action guided the content design of the game to influence mediators of behavior change, including self-efficacy, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and behavior change intention. A randomized controlled evaluation study with pretest, posttest, and follow-up design demonstrated that this game was effective in teaching nutrition and weight management knowledge and increasing people's self-efficacy and perceived benefits of healthy eating, as well as their intention to be on a healthy diet. Limited long-term effects were also found: participants in the game-playing group had greater self-efficacy than participants in the control group after 1 month. This study validates the computer game-based approach to health promotion for young adults. Limitations and implications are also discussed.

Contributions to Pursuit-Evasion Game Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyler, Dave Wilson

This dissertation studies adversarial conflicts among a group of agents moving in the plane, possibly among obstacles, where some agents are pursuers and others are evaders. The goal of the pursuers is to capture the evaders, where capture requires a pursuer to be either co-located with an evader, or in close proximity. The goal of the evaders is to avoid capture. These scenarios, where different groups compete to accomplish conflicting goals, are referred to as pursuit-evasion games, and the agents are called players. Games featuring one pursuer and one evader are analyzed using dominance, where a point in the plane is said to be dominated by a player if that player is able to reach the point before the opposing players, regardless of the opposing players' actions. Two generalizations of the Apollonius circle are provided. One solves games with environments containing obstacles, and the other provides an alternative solution method for the Homicidal Chauffeur game. Optimal pursuit and evasion strategies based on dominance are provided. One benefit of dominance analysis is that it extends to games with many players. Two foundational games are studied; one features multiple pursuers against a single evader, and the other features a single pursuer against multiple evaders. Both are solved using dominance through a reduction to single pursuer, single evader games. Another game featuring competing teams of pursuers is introduced, where an evader cooperates with friendly pursuers to rendezvous before being captured by adversaries. Next, the assumption of complete and perfect information is relaxed, and uncertainties in player speeds, player positions, obstacle locations, and cost functions are studied. The sensitivity of the dominance boundary to perturbations in parameters is provided, and probabilistic dominance is introduced. The effect of information is studied by comparing solutions of games with perfect information to games with uncertainty. Finally, a pursuit law is developed that requires minimal information and highlights a limitation of dominance regions. These contributions extend pursuit-evasion game theory to a number of games that have not previously been solved, and in some cases, the solutions presented are more amenable to implementation than previous methods.

Game as a Career Metaphor: A Chaos Theory Career Counselling Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pryor, Robert George Leslie; Bright, Jim E. H.

2009-01-01

The potential of game as a career metaphor for use in counselling is explored and it is argued that it has been largely overlooked in the literature to date. This metaphor is then explicitly linked with the Chaos Theory of Careers (CTC), by showing how the notion of attractors within the CTC can be illustrated effectively using games metaphors.…

Use of game-theoretical methods in biochemistry and biophysics.

PubMed

Schuster, Stefan; Kreft, Jan-Ulrich; Schroeter, Anja; Pfeiffer, Thomas

2008-04-01

Evolutionary game theory can be considered as an extension of the theory of evolutionary optimisation in that two or more organisms (or more generally, units of replication) tend to optimise their properties in an interdependent way. Thus, the outcome of the strategy adopted by one species (e.g., as a result of mutation and selection) depends on the strategy adopted by the other species. In this review, the use of evolutionary game theory for analysing biochemical and biophysical systems is discussed. The presentation is illustrated by a number of instructive examples such as the competition between microorganisms using different metabolic pathways for adenosine triphosphate production, the secretion of extracellular enzymes, the growth of trees and photosynthesis. These examples show that, due to conflicts of interest, the global optimum (in the sense of being the best solution for the whole system) is not always obtained. For example, some yeast species use metabolic pathways that waste nutrients, and in a dense tree canopy, trees grow taller than would be optimal for biomass productivity. From the viewpoint of game theory, the examples considered can be described by the Prisoner's Dilemma, snowdrift game, Tragedy of the Commons and rock-scissors-paper game.

Parental intention to support video game play by children with autism spectrum disorder: an application of the theory of planned behavior.

PubMed

Finke, Erinn H; Hickerson, Benjamin; McLaughlin, Eileen

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to determine parental attitudes regarding engagement with video games by their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and whether attitudes vary based on ASD symptom severity. Online survey methodology was used to gather information from parents of children with ASD between the ages of 8 and 12 years. The finalized data set included 152 cases. Descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were used to examine participant demographics and video game play. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to evaluate questions on the theory of planned behavior. Regression analyses determined the predictive ability of the theory of planned behavior constructs, and t tests provided additional descriptive information about between-group differences. Children with ASD play video games. There are no significant differences in the time, intensity, or types of games played based on severity of ASD symptoms (mild vs. moderate). Parents of children with ASD had positive attitudes about video game play. Parents of children with ASD appear to support video game play. On average, parents indicated video game play was positive for their children with ASD, particularly if they believed the games were having a positive impact on their child's development.

Economic principles in communication: an experimental study.

PubMed

De Jaegher, Kris; Rosenkranz, Stephanie; Weitzel, Utz

2014-12-21

This paper experimentally investigates how economic principles affect communication. In a simple sender-receiver game with common interests over payoffs, the sender can send a signal without a pre-given meaning in an infrequent or frequent state of the world. When the signal is costly, several theories (focal point theory, the intuitive criterion, evolutionary game theory) predict an efficient separating equilibrium, where the signal is sent in the infrequent state of the world (also referred to as Horn׳s rule). To analyze whether Horn׳s rule applies, and if so, which theory best explains it, we develop and test variants of the sender-receiver game where the theories generate discriminatory hypotheses. In costly signaling variants, our participants follow Horn׳s rule most of the time, in a manner that is best explained by focal point theory. In costless signaling variants, evolutionary game theory best explains our results. Here participants coordinate significantly more (less) often on a separating equilibrium where the signal is sent in the frequent state if they are primed to associate the absence of a signal with the infrequent (frequent) state of the world. We also find indications that a similar priming effect applies to costly signals. Thus, while the frequency with which participants follow Horn׳s rule in costly signaling variants is best explained by Horn׳s rule, the priming effect shows that some of our participants׳ behavior is best explained by evolutionary game theory even when signals are costly. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On control of systems delays in economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, A. V.; Kormyshev, V. M.; Novikov, M. Yu.; Nikonov, M. A.

2017-11-01

The paper continues presentation of the differential game theory for systems with delays and is devoted to the solution of an approach problem in application to economic problems (Dockner E.J., et all, 2000; R. Isaacs, 1999). The results are obtained in the framework of the positional differential game theory (N.N. Krasovskii, A.I. Subbotin, 1988; A.V. Kryazhimskii, Yu.S. Osipov, 1973; Yu.S. Osipov, J. Appl. Math. Mech. Vol. 35, № 1, № 6, 1971) with application of the i-smooth analysis methodology (A.V. Kim, 2015). Effective construction of extremal positional control is based on the utilization of the so called u-stable sets The necessary and sufficient conditions of high u-stability are presented in the paper.

Analyzing the Publish-or-Perish Paradigm with Game Theory: The Prisoner's Dilemma and a Possible Escape.

PubMed

Erren, T C; Shaw, D M; Morfeld, P

2016-10-01

The publish-or-perish paradigm is a prevailing facet of science. We apply game theory to show that, under rather weak assumptions, this publication scenario takes the form of a prisoner's dilemma, which constitutes a substantial obstacle to beneficial delayed publication of more complete results. One way of avoiding this obstacle while allowing researchers to establish priority of discoveries would be an updated "pli cacheté", a sealed envelope concept from the 1700s. We describe institutional rules that could additionally favour high-quality work and publications and provide examples of such policies that are already in place. Our analysis should be extended to other publication scenarios and the role of other stakeholders such as scientific journals or sponsors.

Evolutionary game theory meets social science: is there a unifying rule for human cooperation?

PubMed

Rosas, Alejandro

2010-05-21

Evolutionary game theory has shown that human cooperation thrives in different types of social interactions with a PD structure. Models treat the cooperative strategies within the different frameworks as discrete entities and sometimes even as contenders. Whereas strong reciprocity was acclaimed as superior to classic reciprocity for its ability to defeat defectors in public goods games, recent experiments and simulations show that costly punishment fails to promote cooperation in the IR and DR games, where classic reciprocity succeeds. My aim is to show that cooperative strategies across frameworks are capable of a unified treatment, for they are governed by a common underlying rule or norm. An analysis of the reputation and action rules that govern some representative cooperative strategies both in models and in economic experiments confirms that the different frameworks share a conditional action rule and several reputation rules. The common conditional rule contains an option between costly punishment and withholding benefits that provides alternative enforcement methods against defectors. Depending on the framework, individuals can switch to the appropriate strategy and method of enforcement. The stability of human cooperation looks more promising if one mechanism controls successful strategies across frameworks. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Context Sensing System Analysis for Privacy Preservation Based on Game Theory.

PubMed

Wang, Shengling; Li, Luyun; Sun, Weiman; Guo, Junqi; Bie, Rongfang; Lin, Kai

2017-02-10

In a context sensing system in which a sensor-equipped mobile phone runs an unreliable context-aware application, the application can infer the user's contexts, based on which it provides personalized services. However, the application may sell the user's contexts to some malicious adversaries to earn extra profits, which will hinder its widespread use. In the real world, the actions of the user, the application and the adversary in the context sensing system affect each other, so that their payoffs are constrained mutually. To figure out under which conditions they behave well (the user releases, the application does not leak and the adversary does not retrieve the context), we take advantage of game theory to analyze the context sensing system. We use the extensive form game and the repeated game, respectively, to analyze two typical scenarios, single interaction and multiple interaction among three players, from which Nash equilibriums and cooperation conditions are obtained. Our results show that the reputation mechanism for the context-sensing system in the former scenario is crucial to privacy preservation, so is the extent to which the participants are concerned about future payoffs in the latter one.

A bargaining game analysis of international climate negotiations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smead, Rory; Sandler, Ronald L.; Forber, Patrick; Basl, John

2014-06-01

Climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have so far failed to achieve a robust international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Game theory has been used to investigate possible climate negotiation solutions and strategies for accomplishing them. Negotiations have been primarily modelled as public goods games such as the Prisoner's Dilemma, though coordination games or games of conflict have also been used. Many of these models have solutions, in the form of equilibria, corresponding to possible positive outcomes--that is, agreements with the requisite emissions reduction commitments. Other work on large-scale social dilemmas suggests that it should be possible to resolve the climate problem. It therefore seems that equilibrium selection may be a barrier to successful negotiations. Here we use an N-player bargaining game in an agent-based model with learning dynamics to examine the past failures of and future prospects for a robust international climate agreement. The model suggests reasons why the desirable solutions identified in previous game-theoretic models have not yet been accomplished in practice and what mechanisms might be used to achieve these solutions.

Evolutionary dynamics of the traveler's dilemma and minimum-effort coordination games on complex networks.

PubMed

Iyer, Swami; Killingback, Timothy

2014-10-01

The traveler's dilemma game and the minimum-effort coordination game are social dilemmas that have received significant attention resulting from the fact that the predictions of classical game theory are inconsistent with the results found when the games are studied experimentally. Moreover, both the traveler's dilemma and the minimum-effort coordination games have potentially important applications in evolutionary biology. Interestingly, standard deterministic evolutionary game theory, as represented by the replicator dynamics in a well-mixed population, is also inadequate to account for the behavior observed in these games. Here we study the evolutionary dynamics of both these games in populations with interaction patterns described by a variety of complex network topologies. We investigate the evolutionary dynamics of these games through agent-based simulations on both model and empirical networks. In particular, we study the effects of network clustering and assortativity on the evolutionary dynamics of both games. In general, we show that the evolutionary behavior of the traveler's dilemma and minimum-effort coordination games on complex networks is in good agreement with that observed experimentally. Thus, formulating the traveler's dilemma and the minimum-effort coordination games on complex networks neatly resolves the paradoxical aspects of these games.

An educational video game for nutrition of young people: Theory and design

PubMed Central

Ledoux, Tracey; Griffith, Melissa; Thompson, Debbe; Nguyen, Nga; Watson, Kathy; Baranowski, Janice; Buday, Richard; Abdelsamad, Dina; Baranowski, Tom

2016-01-01

Background Playing Escape from DIAB (DIAB) and Nanoswarm (NANO), epic video game adventures, increased fruit and vegetable consumption among a multi-ethnic sample of 10–12 year old children during pilot testing. Key elements of both games were educational mini-games embedded in the overall game that promoted knowledge acquisition regarding diet, physical activity and energy balance. 95–100% of participants demonstrated mastery of these mini-games suggesting knowledge acquisition. Aim This article describes the process of designing and developing the educational mini-games. A secondary purpose was to explore the experience of children while playing the games. Method The educational games were based on Social Cognitive and Mastery Learning Theories. A multidisciplinary team of behavioral nutrition, PA, and video game experts designed, developed, and tested the mini-games. Results Alpha testing revealed children generally liked the mini-games and found them to be reasonably challenging. Process evaluation data from pilot testing revealed almost all participants completed nearly all educational mini-games in a reasonable amount of time suggesting feasibility of this approach. Conclusions Future research should continue to explore the use of video games in educating children to achieve healthy behavior changes. PMID:27547019

An educational video game for nutrition of young people: Theory and design.

PubMed

Ledoux, Tracey; Griffith, Melissa; Thompson, Debbe; Nguyen, Nga; Watson, Kathy; Baranowski, Janice; Buday, Richard; Abdelsamad, Dina; Baranowski, Tom

2016-08-01

Playing Escape from DIAB (DIAB) and Nanoswarm (NANO) , epic video game adventures, increased fruit and vegetable consumption among a multi-ethnic sample of 10-12 year old children during pilot testing. Key elements of both games were educational mini-games embedded in the overall game that promoted knowledge acquisition regarding diet, physical activity and energy balance. 95-100% of participants demonstrated mastery of these mini-games suggesting knowledge acquisition. This article describes the process of designing and developing the educational mini-games. A secondary purpose was to explore the experience of children while playing the games. The educational games were based on Social Cognitive and Mastery Learning Theories. A multidisciplinary team of behavioral nutrition, PA, and video game experts designed, developed, and tested the mini-games. Alpha testing revealed children generally liked the mini-games and found them to be reasonably challenging. Process evaluation data from pilot testing revealed almost all participants completed nearly all educational mini-games in a reasonable amount of time suggesting feasibility of this approach. Future research should continue to explore the use of video games in educating children to achieve healthy behavior changes.

Evolutionary dynamics of the traveler's dilemma and minimum-effort coordination games on complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iyer, Swami; Killingback, Timothy

2014-10-01

The traveler's dilemma game and the minimum-effort coordination game are social dilemmas that have received significant attention resulting from the fact that the predictions of classical game theory are inconsistent with the results found when the games are studied experimentally. Moreover, both the traveler's dilemma and the minimum-effort coordination games have potentially important applications in evolutionary biology. Interestingly, standard deterministic evolutionary game theory, as represented by the replicator dynamics in a well-mixed population, is also inadequate to account for the behavior observed in these games. Here we study the evolutionary dynamics of both these games in populations with interaction patterns described by a variety of complex network topologies. We investigate the evolutionary dynamics of these games through agent-based simulations on both model and empirical networks. In particular, we study the effects of network clustering and assortativity on the evolutionary dynamics of both games. In general, we show that the evolutionary behavior of the traveler's dilemma and minimum-effort coordination games on complex networks is in good agreement with that observed experimentally. Thus, formulating the traveler's dilemma and the minimum-effort coordination games on complex networks neatly resolves the paradoxical aspects of these games.

Investigation on Law and Economics Based on Complex Network and Time Series Analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Jian; Qu, Zhao; Chang, Hui

2015-01-01

The research focuses on the cooperative relationship and the strategy tendency among three mutually interactive parties in financing: small enterprises, commercial banks and micro-credit companies. Complex network theory and time series analysis were applied to figure out the quantitative evidence. Moreover, this paper built up a fundamental model describing the particular interaction among them through evolutionary game. Combining the results of data analysis and current situation, it is justifiable to put forward reasonable legislative recommendations for regulations on lending activities among small enterprises, commercial banks and micro-credit companies. The approach in this research provides a framework for constructing mathematical models and applying econometrics and evolutionary game in the issue of corporation financing.

Revisiting the Wittgensteinian Legacy: Perspectives on Representational and Non-Representational Language-Games for Educational History and Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smeyers, Paul; Fendler, Lynn

2015-01-01

Debates in science seem to depend on referential language-games, but in other senses they do not. Language works in more complex ways, even in work that purports to be purely scientific. This article investigates the scope and limitations of language-games in educational history and theory. The study addresses concepts and pictures as examples of…

Quantum Uncertainty and Decision-Making in Game Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asano, M.; Ohya, M.; Tanaka, Y.; Khrennikov, A.; Basieva, I.

2011-01-01

Recently a few authors pointed to a possibility to apply the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics to cognitive psychology, in particular, to games of the Prisoners Dilemma (PD) type.6_18 In this paper, we discuss the problem of rationality in game theory and point out that the quantum uncertainty is similar to the uncertainty of knowledge, which a player feels subjectively in his decision-making.

Inducing Attitude Change toward Online Gaming among Adolescent Players Based on Dissonance Theory: The Role of Threats and Justification of Effort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wan, Chin-Sheng; Chiou, Wen-Bin

2010-01-01

The negative impact of online gaming on adolescents has received much attention. The question of how to reduce their pathological use of online gaming is a critical issue. Based on the concept of external justification in dissonance theory, this experimental study aimed to examine whether severity of threat and justification of effort would impact…

Market mechanism based on the endogenous changing of game types such as Minority-Majority games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Sanghyun; Lim, Gyuchang; Kim, Sooyong; Kim, Kyungsik

2010-03-01

In many social and biological systems agents simultaneously and adaptively compete for limited resources, thereby altering their environment. We propose a evolution function extending Minority-Majority Games that captures the competition between agents to make money. The dynamics changes the ratio of two types of boundedly rational traders, fundamentalists and chartists with the payoff function endogenously. In the previous game theories, the best strategies are not always targeting the minority but are shifting opportunistically between the minority and the majority. And using a mixture of local bifurcation theory and numerical methods, there are possible bifurcation routes to complicated asset price dynamics, chaotic attractors. Hereby we improve the thinking logic of the atoms for attaching the dynamics to the market. This working shows that removing unrealistic features of the game theories leads to models which reproduce a behavior close to what is observed in real markets.

Recovering from "Yo Mama Is so Stupid": (En)gendering a Critical Paradigm on Black Feminist Theory and Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Rochelle

2011-01-01

This article offers an analysis of the dozens using Black feminist theory. The dozens are a ritualized verbal game of insults that historically have used sexual offenses against Black women as the vehicle for insults. Rather than simply viewing the dozens as a cultural phenomenon, the article draws a connection between its occurrence in West…

What Is True Halving in the Payoff Matrix of Game Theory?

PubMed Central

Hasegawa, Eisuke; Yoshimura, Jin

2016-01-01

In game theory, there are two social interpretations of rewards (payoffs) for decision-making strategies: (1) the interpretation based on the utility criterion derived from expected utility theory and (2) the interpretation based on the quantitative criterion (amount of gain) derived from validity in the empirical context. A dynamic decision theory has recently been developed in which dynamic utility is a conditional (state) variable that is a function of the current wealth of a decision maker. We applied dynamic utility to the equal division in dove-dove contests in the hawk-dove game. Our results indicate that under the utility criterion, the half-share of utility becomes proportional to a player’s current wealth. Our results are consistent with studies of the sense of fairness in animals, which indicate that the quantitative criterion has greater validity than the utility criterion. We also find that traditional analyses of repeated games must be reevaluated. PMID:27487194

Chimpanzee choice rates in competitive games match equilibrium game theory predictions.

PubMed

Martin, Christopher Flynn; Bhui, Rahul; Bossaerts, Peter; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro; Camerer, Colin

2014-06-05

The capacity for strategic thinking about the payoff-relevant actions of conspecifics is not well understood across species. We use game theory to make predictions about choices and temporal dynamics in three abstract competitive situations with chimpanzee participants. Frequencies of chimpanzee choices are extremely close to equilibrium (accurate-guessing) predictions, and shift as payoffs change, just as equilibrium theory predicts. The chimpanzee choices are also closer to the equilibrium prediction, and more responsive to past history and payoff changes, than two samples of human choices from experiments in which humans were also initially uninformed about opponent payoffs and could not communicate verbally. The results are consistent with a tentative interpretation of game theory as explaining evolved behavior, with the additional hypothesis that chimpanzees may retain or practice a specialized capacity to adjust strategy choice during competition to perform at least as well as, or better than, humans have.

What Is True Halving in the Payoff Matrix of Game Theory?

PubMed

Ito, Hiromu; Katsumata, Yuki; Hasegawa, Eisuke; Yoshimura, Jin

2016-01-01

In game theory, there are two social interpretations of rewards (payoffs) for decision-making strategies: (1) the interpretation based on the utility criterion derived from expected utility theory and (2) the interpretation based on the quantitative criterion (amount of gain) derived from validity in the empirical context. A dynamic decision theory has recently been developed in which dynamic utility is a conditional (state) variable that is a function of the current wealth of a decision maker. We applied dynamic utility to the equal division in dove-dove contests in the hawk-dove game. Our results indicate that under the utility criterion, the half-share of utility becomes proportional to a player's current wealth. Our results are consistent with studies of the sense of fairness in animals, which indicate that the quantitative criterion has greater validity than the utility criterion. We also find that traditional analyses of repeated games must be reevaluated.

Antagonistic and Bargaining Games in Optimal Marketing Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipovetsky, S.

2007-01-01

Game theory approaches to find optimal marketing decisions are considered. Antagonistic games with and without complete information, and non-antagonistic games techniques are applied to paired comparison, ranking, or rating data for a firm and its competitors in the market. Mix strategy, equilibrium in bi-matrix games, bargaining models with…

Progress Report and Topical Survey, 1980-1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-03-01

Introduction. .. ........................... 1 TOPICAL SURVEY: GAMES WITH INCOMPLETE INFORMATION .. ........ 2 1. Extensive Games .. ..................... 3...2. Finitely Repeated Games .. ................. 9 3. Infinitely Repeated Games .. ................ 12 4. Nonrandomized Strategies...been focused on the application of results from game theory. Although this is only one of the several approaches to organizational design in the

First Steps and beyond: Serious Games as Preparation for Future Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, Debbie Denise

2007-01-01

Electronic game technologies can prepare novice learners for future learning of complex concepts. This paper describes the underlying instructional design, learning science, cognitive science, and game theory. A structural, or syntactic mapping (structure mapping), approach to game design can produce a game world relationally isomorphic to a…

Product Distribution Theory for Control of Multi-Agent Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Chia Fan; Wolpert, David H.

2004-01-01

Product Distribution (PD) theory is a new framework for controlling Multi-Agent Systems (MAS's). First we review one motivation of PD theory, as the information-theoretic extension of conventional full-rationality game theory to the case of bounded rational agents. In this extension the equilibrium of the game is the optimizer of a Lagrangian of the (probability distribution of) the joint stare of the agents. Accordingly we can consider a team game in which the shared utility is a performance measure of the behavior of the MAS. For such a scenario the game is at equilibrium - the Lagrangian is optimized - when the joint distribution of the agents optimizes the system's expected performance. One common way to find that equilibrium is to have each agent run a reinforcement learning algorithm. Here we investigate the alternative of exploiting PD theory to run gradient descent on the Lagrangian. We present computer experiments validating some of the predictions of PD theory for how best to do that gradient descent. We also demonstrate how PD theory can improve performance even when we are not allowed to rerun the MAS from different initial conditions, a requirement implicit in some previous work.

Game theory and reciprocity in some extensive form experimental games.

PubMed

McCabe, K A; Rassenti, S J; Smith, V L

1996-11-12

We examine decision making in two-person extensive form game trees using nine treatments that vary matching protocol, payoffs, and payoff information. Our objective is to establish replicable principles of cooperative versus noncooperative behavior that involve the use of signaling, reciprocity, and backward induction strategies, depending on the availability of dominated direct punishing strategies and the probability of repeated interaction with the same partner. Contrary to the predictions of game theory, we find substantial support for cooperation under complete information even in various single-play treatments.

Quantum gambling based on Nash-equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Pei; Zhou, Xiao-Qi; Wang, Yun-Long; Liu, Bi-Heng; Shadbolt, Pete; Zhang, Yong-Sheng; Gao, Hong; Li, Fu-Li; O'Brien, Jeremy L.

2017-06-01

The problem of establishing a fair bet between spatially separated gambler and casino can only be solved in the classical regime by relying on a trusted third party. By combining Nash-equilibrium theory with quantum game theory, we show that a secure, remote, two-party game can be played using a quantum gambling machine which has no classical counterpart. Specifically, by modifying the Nash-equilibrium point we can construct games with arbitrary amount of bias, including a game that is demonstrably fair to both parties. We also report a proof-of-principle experimental demonstration using linear optics.

Some dynamics of signaling games.

PubMed

Huttegger, Simon; Skyrms, Brian; Tarrès, Pierre; Wagner, Elliott

2014-07-22

Information transfer is a basic feature of life that includes signaling within and between organisms. Owing to its interactive nature, signaling can be investigated by using game theory. Game theoretic models of signaling have a long tradition in biology, economics, and philosophy. For a long time the analyses of these games has mostly relied on using static equilibrium concepts such as Pareto optimal Nash equilibria or evolutionarily stable strategies. More recently signaling games of various types have been investigated with the help of game dynamics, which includes dynamical models of evolution and individual learning. A dynamical analysis leads to more nuanced conclusions as to the outcomes of signaling interactions. Here we explore different kinds of signaling games that range from interactions without conflicts of interest between the players to interactions where their interests are seriously misaligned. We consider these games within the context of evolutionary dynamics (both infinite and finite population models) and learning dynamics (reinforcement learning). Some results are specific features of a particular dynamical model, whereas others turn out to be quite robust across different models. This suggests that there are certain qualitative aspects that are common to many real-world signaling interactions.

Some dynamics of signaling games

PubMed Central

Huttegger, Simon; Skyrms, Brian; Tarrès, Pierre; Wagner, Elliott

2014-01-01

Information transfer is a basic feature of life that includes signaling within and between organisms. Owing to its interactive nature, signaling can be investigated by using game theory. Game theoretic models of signaling have a long tradition in biology, economics, and philosophy. For a long time the analyses of these games has mostly relied on using static equilibrium concepts such as Pareto optimal Nash equilibria or evolutionarily stable strategies. More recently signaling games of various types have been investigated with the help of game dynamics, which includes dynamical models of evolution and individual learning. A dynamical analysis leads to more nuanced conclusions as to the outcomes of signaling interactions. Here we explore different kinds of signaling games that range from interactions without conflicts of interest between the players to interactions where their interests are seriously misaligned. We consider these games within the context of evolutionary dynamics (both infinite and finite population models) and learning dynamics (reinforcement learning). Some results are specific features of a particular dynamical model, whereas others turn out to be quite robust across different models. This suggests that there are certain qualitative aspects that are common to many real-world signaling interactions. PMID:25024209

Adaptive Multi-Agent Systems for Constrained Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macready, William; Bieniawski, Stefan; Wolpert, David H.

2004-01-01

Product Distribution (PD) theory is a new framework for analyzing and controlling distributed systems. Here we demonstrate its use for distributed stochastic optimization. First we review one motivation of PD theory, as the information-theoretic extension of conventional full-rationality game theory to the case of bounded rational agents. In this extension the equilibrium of the game is the optimizer of a Lagrangian of the (probability distribution of) the joint state of the agents. When the game in question is a team game with constraints, that equilibrium optimizes the expected value of the team game utility, subject to those constraints. The updating of the Lagrange parameters in the Lagrangian can be viewed as a form of automated annealing, that focuses the MAS more and more on the optimal pure strategy. This provides a simple way to map the solution of any constrained optimization problem onto the equilibrium of a Multi-Agent System (MAS). We present computer experiments involving both the Queen s problem and K-SAT validating the predictions of PD theory and its use for off-the-shelf distributed adaptive optimization.

Computer Games in Pre-School Settings: Didactical Challenges when Commercial Educational Computer Games Are Implemented in Kindergartens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vangsnes, Vigdis; Gram Okland, Nils Tore; Krumsvik, Rune

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the didactical implications when commercial educational computer games are used in Norwegian kindergartens by analysing the dramaturgy and the didactics of one particular game and the game in use in a pedagogical context. Our justification for analysing the game by using dramaturgic theory is that we consider the game to be…

Evolutionary stability for matrix games under time constraints.

PubMed

Garay, József; Csiszár, Villő; Móri, Tamás F

2017-02-21

Game theory focuses on payoffs and typically ignores time constraints that play an important role in evolutionary processes where the repetition of games can depend on the strategies, too. We introduce a matrix game under time constraints, where each pairwise interaction has two consequences: both players receive a payoff and they cannot play the next game for a specified time duration. Thus our model is defined by two matrices: a payoff matrix and an average time duration matrix. Maynard Smith's concept of evolutionary stability is extended to this class of games. We illustrate the effect of time constraints by the well-known prisoner's dilemma game, where additional time constraints can ensure the existence of unique evolutionary stable strategies (ESS), both pure and mixed, or the coexistence of two pure ESS. Our general results may be useful in several fields of biology where evolutionary game theory is applied, principally in ecological games, where time constraints play an inevitable role. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Linear Quadratic Gaussian Multistage Game with Nonclassical Information Pattern Using a Direct Solution Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clemens, Joshua William

Game theory has application across multiple fields, spanning from economic strategy to optimal control of an aircraft and missile on an intercept trajectory. The idea of game theory is fascinating in that we can actually mathematically model real-world scenarios and determine optimal decision making. It may not always be easy to mathematically model certain real-world scenarios, nonetheless, game theory gives us an appreciation for the complexity involved in decision making. This complexity is especially apparent when the players involved have access to different information upon which to base their decision making (a nonclassical information pattern). Here we will focus on the class of adversarial two-player games (sometimes referred to as pursuit-evasion games) with nonclassical information pattern. We present a two-sided (simultaneous) optimization solution method for the two-player linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) multistage game. This direct solution method allows for further interpretation of each player's decision making (strategy) as compared to previously used formal solution methods. In addition to the optimal control strategies, we present a saddle point proof and we derive an expression for the optimal performance index value. We provide some numerical results in order to further interpret the optimal control strategies and to highlight real-world application of this game-theoretic optimal solution.

Analysis of implementation of Tradable Green Certificates system in a competitive electricity market: a game theory approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaffari, Meysam; Hafezalkotob, Ashkan; Makui, Ahmad

2016-06-01

This paper investigates three models to implement Tradable Green Certificates (TGC) system with aid of game theory approach. In particular, the competition between thermal and renewable power plants is formulated in three models: namely cooperative, Nash and Stackelberg game models. The price of TGC is assumed to be determined by the legislative body (government) which is fixed. Numerical examples presented in this paper include sensitivity analysis of some key parameters and comparison of the results of different models. In all three game models, the parameters that influence pricing of the TGC based on the optimal amounts are obtained. The numerical examples demonstrate that in all models: there is a reverse relation between the price of electricity and the TGC price, as well as a direct relation between the price of electricity and the share of green electricity in total electricity generation. It is found that Stackelberg model is an appropriate structure to implement the TGC system. In this model, the supply of electricity and the production of green electricity are at the highest level, while the price of electricity is at the lowest levels. In addition, payoff of the thermal power plant is at the highest levels in the Nash model. Hence this model can be an applicatory structure for implementation of the TGC system in developing countries, where the number of thermal power plants is significantly greater than the number of renewable power plants.

Econophysics: from Game Theory and Information Theory to Quantum Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jimenez, Edward; Moya, Douglas

2005-03-01

Rationality is the universal invariant among human behavior, universe physical laws and ordered and complex biological systems. Econophysics isboth the use of physical concepts in Finance and Economics, and the use of Information Economics in Physics. In special, we will show that it is possible to obtain the Quantum Mechanics principles using Information and Game Theory.

Coalitional game theory as a promising approach to identify candidate autism genes.

PubMed

Gupta, Anika; Sun, Min Woo; Paskov, Kelley Marie; Stockham, Nate Tyler; Jung, Jae-Yoon; Wall, Dennis Paul

2018-01-01

Despite mounting evidence for the strong role of genetics in the phenotypic manifestation of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the specific genes responsible for the variable forms of ASD remain undefined. ASD may be best explained by a combinatorial genetic model with varying epistatic interactions across many small effect mutations. Coalitional or cooperative game theory is a technique that studies the combined effects of groups of players, known as coalitions, seeking to identify players who tend to improve the performance--the relationship to a specific disease phenotype--of any coalition they join. This method has been previously shown to boost biologically informative signal in gene expression data but to-date has not been applied to the search for cooperative mutations among putative ASD genes. We describe our approach to highlight genes relevant to ASD using coalitional game theory on alteration data of 1,965 fully sequenced genomes from 756 multiplex families. Alterations were encoded into binary matrices for ASD (case) and unaffected (control) samples, indicating likely gene-disrupting, inherited mutations in altered genes. To determine individual gene contributions given an ASD phenotype, a "player" metric, referred to as the Shapley value, was calculated for each gene in the case and control cohorts. Sixty seven genes were found to have significantly elevated player scores and likely represent significant contributors to the genetic coordination underlying ASD. Using network and cross-study analysis, we found that these genes are involved in biological pathways known to be affected in the autism cases and that a subset directly interact with several genes known to have strong associations to autism. These findings suggest that coalitional game theory can be applied to large-scale genomic data to identify hidden yet influential players in complex polygenic disorders such as autism.

Decision and Game Theory for Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alpcan, Tansu; Buttyán, Levente; Baras, John S.

Attack--defense trees are used to describe security weaknesses of a system and possible countermeasures. In this paper, the connection between attack--defense trees and game theory is made explicit. We show that attack--defense trees and binary zero-sum two-player extensive form games have equivalent expressive power when considering satisfiability, in the sense that they can be converted into each other while preserving their outcome and their internal structure.

Stochastic Games. I. Foundations,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

underpinning for the theory of stochastic games. Section 2 is a reworking of the Bevley- Kohlberg result integrated with Shapley’s; the "black magic" of... Kohlberg : The values of the r-discount game, and the stationary optimal strategies, have Puiseaux expansions. L.. 11" 6 3. More generally, consider an...1969). Introduction to Commu- tative Algebra. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley. [3] Bewley, T. and E. Kohlberg (1976). "The Asymptotic Theory of

Reliability and Validity of the Behavioral Addiction Measure for Video Gaming.

PubMed

Sanders, James L; Williams, Robert J

2016-01-01

Most tests of video game addiction have weak construct validity and limited ability to correctly identify people in denial. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the reliability and validity of a new test of video game addiction (Behavioral Addiction Measure-Video Gaming [BAM-VG]) that was developed in part to address these deficiencies. Regular adult video gamers (n = 506) were recruited from a Canadian online panel and completed a survey containing three measures of excessive video gaming (BAM-VG; DSM-5 criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder [IGD]; and the IGD-20), as well as questions concerning extensiveness of video game involvement and self-report of problems associated with video gaming. One month later, they were reassessed for the purposes of establishing test-retest reliability. The BAM-VG demonstrated good internal consistency as well as 1 month test-retest reliability. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated by significant correlations with the following: time spent playing, self-identification of video game problems, and scores on other instruments designed to assess video game addiction (DSM-5 IGD, IGD-20). Consistent with the theory, principal component analysis identified two components underlying the BAM-VG that roughly correspond with impaired control and significant negative consequences deriving from this impaired control. Together with its excellent construct validity and other technical features, the BAM-VG represents a reliable and valid test of video game addiction.

An educational video game for nutrition of young people: Theory and design

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Playing Escape from Diab (DIAB) and Nanoswarm (NANO), epic video game adventures, increased fruit and vegetable consumption among a multi-ethnic sample of 10-12 year old children during pilot testing. Key elements of both games were educational mini-games embedded in the overall game that promoted k...

Using a Digital Game as an Advance Organizer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denham, André R.

2018-01-01

The use of digital games as an instructional tool has garnered increasing attention in the education community. Empirical work supported by theory on the learning affordances of digital games allowed the game-based learning community to arrive at the consensus that digital games provide an excellent medium for the acquisition of skills and the…

Creating Effective Educational Computer Games for Undergraduate Classroom Learning: A Conceptual Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapeepisarn, Kowit; Wong, Kok Wai; Fung, Chun Che; Khine, Myint Swe

2008-01-01

When designing Educational Computer Games, designers usually consider target age, interactivity, interface and other related issues. They rarely explore the genres which should employ into one type of educational game. Recently, some digital game-based researchers made attempt to combine game genre with learning theory. Different researchers use…

Designing an Electronic Educational Game to Facilitate Immersion and Flow

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Yuxin; Williams, Doug; Prejean, Louise

2014-01-01

Advocates of electronic educational games often cite the work on motivation to support the use of games in education. However, motivation alone is inadequate to facilitate learning. Many of the educational games that focused their game design solely on the motivational effect failed to be either educational or entertaining. Theory and research is…

Differential games.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varaiya, P. P.

1972-01-01

General discussion of the theory of differential games with two players and zero sum. Games starting at a fixed initial state and ending at a fixed final time are analyzed. Strategies for the games are defined. The existence of saddle values and saddle points is considered. A stochastic version of a differential game is used to examine the synthesis problem.

Morals matter in economic games.

PubMed

Brodbeck, Felix C; Kugler, Katharina G; Reif, Julia A M; Maier, Markus A

2013-01-01

Contrary to predictions from Expected Utility Theory and Game Theory, when making economic decisions in interpersonal situations, people take the interest of others into account and express various forms of solidarity, even in one-shot interactions with anonymous strangers. Research in other-regarding behavior is dominated by behavioral economical and evolutionary biological approaches. Psychological theory building, which addresses mental processes underlying other-regarding behavior, is rare. Based on Relational Models Theory (RMT, [1]) and Relationship Regulation Theory (RRT, [2]) it is proposed that moral motives influence individuals' decision behavior in interpersonal situations via conscious and unconscious (automatic) processes. To test our propositions we developed the 'Dyadic Solidarity Game' and its solitary equivalent, the 'Self-Insurance Game'. Four experiments, in which the moral motives "Unity" and "Proportionality" were manipulated, support the propositions made. First, it was shown that consciously activated moral motives (via framing of the overall goal of the experiment) and unconsciously activated moral motives (via subliminal priming) influence other-regarding behavior. Second, this influence was only found in interpersonal, not in solitary situations. Third, by combining the analyses of the two experimental games the extent to which participants apply the Golden Rule ("treat others how you wish to be treated") could be established. Individuals with a "Unity" motive treated others like themselves, whereas individuals with a "Proportionality" motive gave others less then they gave themselves. The four experiments not only support the assumption that morals matter in economic games, they also deliver new insights in how morals matter in economic decision making.

Using game theory to investigate the epigenetic control mechanisms of embryo development. Comment on: ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Le; Zhang, Shaoxiang

2017-03-01

A body of research [1-7] has already shown that epigenetic reprogramming plays a critical role in maintaining the normal development of embryos. However, the mechanistic quantitation of the epigenetic interactions between sperms and oocytes and the related impact on embryo development are still not clear [6,7]. In this study, Wang et al., [8] develop a modeling framework that addresses this question by integrating game theory and the latest discoveries of the epigenetic control of embryo development.

A Game Theory Based Solution for Security Challenges in CRNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poonam; Nagpal, Chander Kumar

2018-03-01

Cognitive radio networks (CRNs) are being envisioned to drive the next generation Ad hoc wireless networks due to their ability to provide communications resilience in continuously changing environments through the use of dynamic spectrum access. Conventionally CRNs are dependent upon the information gathered by other secondary users to ensure the accuracy of spectrum sensing making them vulnerable to security attacks leading to the need of security mechanisms like cryptography and trust. However, a typical cryptography based solution is not a viable security solution for CRNs owing to their limited resources. Effectiveness of trust based approaches has always been, in question, due to credibility of secondary trust resources. Game theory with its ability to optimize in an environment of conflicting interests can be quite a suitable tool to manage an ad hoc network in the presence of autonomous selfish/malevolent/malicious and attacker nodes. The literature contains several theoretical proposals for augmenting game theory in the ad hoc networks without explicit/detailed implementation. This paper implements a game theory based solution in MATLAB-2015 to secure the CRN environment and compares the obtained results with the traditional approaches of trust and cryptography. The simulation result indicates that as the time progresses the game theory performs much better with higher throughput, lower jitter and better identification of selfish/malicious nodes.

Investigation on Law and Economics Based on Complex Network and Time Series Analysis

PubMed Central

Yang, Jian; Qu, Zhao; Chang, Hui

2015-01-01

The research focuses on the cooperative relationship and the strategy tendency among three mutually interactive parties in financing: small enterprises, commercial banks and micro-credit companies. Complex network theory and time series analysis were applied to figure out the quantitative evidence. Moreover, this paper built up a fundamental model describing the particular interaction among them through evolutionary game. Combining the results of data analysis and current situation, it is justifiable to put forward reasonable legislative recommendations for regulations on lending activities among small enterprises, commercial banks and micro-credit companies. The approach in this research provides a framework for constructing mathematical models and applying econometrics and evolutionary game in the issue of corporation financing. PMID:26076460

Insights into Participants' Behaviours in Educational Games, Simulations and Workshops: A Catastrophe Theory Application to Motivation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cryer, Patricia

1988-01-01

Develops models for participants' behaviors in games, simulations, and workshops based on Catastrophe Theory and Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation. Examples are given of how these models can be used, both for describing and understanding the behaviors of individuals, and for eliciting insights into why participants behave as they do. (11…

Illness Experience, Self-Determination, and Recreational Activities in Pediatric Asthma.

PubMed

Bingham, Peter M; Crane, Ian; Manning, Sarah Waterman

2017-06-01

Although asthma self-management depends on ongoing and accurate self-assessment by the patient, pediatric asthma patients have weak skills in the area of symptom perception. Before developing an asthma game targeted to improving asthma self-management and improved symptom awareness, we sought to identify gaps in existing games. To clarify the role of relatedness and autonomy in asthma health game design, we investigated symptom awareness, vocabulary, and self-determination through a series of semi-structured interviews with children suffering from asthma. Using self-determination theory as a framework, interviews were oriented to patients' illness experience and vocabulary related to symptomatology, as well as to recreational activities. Formative analysis of the interviews reveals attitudes, perceptions, and motivational factors arising in the context of childhood asthma, and it elucidates the images and vocabulary associated with both illness experience and recreational activities. Qualitative assessment of patient perspectives leads to specific recommendations for game design ideas that will support market entry of a spirometer-controlled game for children with asthma.

Collaboration in classical political economy and noncooperative game theory.

PubMed

McCain, Roger A

2014-06-01

This commentary suggests (1) that there are precedents for Smaldino's "collaboration" in the history of economic thought before 1900 and (2) that the distinction of collaboration from what is thought of as cooperation in game theory is less clear than Smaldino suggests.

Benefits, Barriers and Guideline Recommendations for the Implementation of Serious Games in Education for Stakeholders and Policymakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsekleves, Emmanuel; Cosmas, John; Aggoun, Amar

2016-01-01

Serious games and game-based learning have received increased attention in recent years as an adjunct to teaching and learning material. This has been well echoed in the literature with numerous articles on the use of games and game theory in education. Despite this, no policy for the incorporation of serious games in education exists to date.…

Taking Educational Games Seriously: Using the RETAIN Model to Design Endogenous Fantasy into Standalone Educational Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunter, Glenda A.; Kenny, Robert F.; Vick, Erik H.

2008-01-01

We are witnessing a mad rush to pour educational content into games in an ad hoc manner in hopes that player/learners are motivated simply because the content is housed inside a game. A failure to base educational game design on well-established learning and instructional theories increases the risk of the game failing to meet its intended…

Integrating Health Behavior Theory and Design Elements in Serious Games.

PubMed

Cheek, Colleen; Fleming, Theresa; Lucassen, Mathijs Fg; Bridgman, Heather; Stasiak, Karolina; Shepherd, Matthew; Orpin, Peter

2015-01-01

Internet interventions for improving health and well-being have the potential to reach many people and fill gaps in service provision. Serious gaming interfaces provide opportunities to optimize user adherence and impact. Health interventions based in theory and evidence and tailored to psychological constructs have been found to be more effective to promote behavior change. Defining the design elements which engage users and help them to meet their goals can contribute to better informed serious games. To elucidate design elements important in SPARX, a serious game for adolescents with depression, from a user-centered perspective. We proposed a model based on an established theory of health behavior change and practical features of serious game design to organize ideas and rationale. We analyzed data from 5 studies comprising a total of 22 focus groups and 66 semistructured interviews conducted with youth and families in New Zealand and Australia who had viewed or used SPARX. User perceptions of the game were applied to this framework. A coherent framework was established using the three constructs of self-determination theory (SDT), autonomy, competence, and relatedness, to organize user perceptions and design elements within four areas important in design: computer game, accessibility, working alliance, and learning in immersion. User perceptions mapped well to the framework, which may assist developers in understanding the context of user needs. By mapping these elements against the constructs of SDT, we were able to propose a sound theoretical base for the model. This study's method allowed for the articulation of design elements in a serious game from a user-centered perspective within a coherent overarching framework. The framework can be used to deliberately incorporate serious game design elements that support a user's sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, key constructs which have been found to mediate motivation at all stages of the change process. The resulting model introduces promising avenues for future exploration. Involving users in program design remains an imperative if serious games are to be fit for purpose.

Metabolic reconstruction, constraint-based analysis and game theory to probe genome-scale metabolic networks.

PubMed

Ruppin, Eytan; Papin, Jason A; de Figueiredo, Luis F; Schuster, Stefan

2010-08-01

With the advent of modern omics technologies, it has become feasible to reconstruct (quasi-) whole-cell metabolic networks and characterize them in more and more detail. Computer simulations of the dynamic behavior of such networks are difficult due to a lack of kinetic data and to computational limitations. In contrast, network analysis based on appropriate constraints such as the steady-state condition (constraint-based analysis) is feasible and allows one to derive conclusions about the system's metabolic capabilities. Here, we review methods for the reconstruction of metabolic networks, modeling techniques such as flux balance analysis and elementary flux modes and current progress in their development and applications. Game-theoretical methods for studying metabolic networks are discussed as well. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gaming the System: Culture, Process, and Perspectives Supporting a Game and App Design Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herro, Danielle

2015-01-01

Games and digital media experiences permeate the lives of youth. Researchers have argued the participatory attributes and cognitive benefits of gaming and media production for more than a decade, relying on socio-cultural theory to bolster their claims. Only recently have large-scale efforts ensued towards moving game play and design into formal…

Games for Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gee, James Paul

2013-01-01

Today there is a great deal of interest in and a lot of hype about using video games in schools. Video games are a new silver bullet. Games can create good learning because they teach in powerful ways. The theory behind game-based learning is not really new, but a traditional and well-tested approach to deep and effective learning, often…

Cyber Security Research Frameworks For Coevolutionary Network Defense

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rush, George D.; Tauritz, Daniel Remy

Several architectures have been created for developing and testing systems used in network security, but most are meant to provide a platform for running cyber security experiments as opposed to automating experiment processes. In the first paper, we propose a framework termed Distributed Cyber Security Automation Framework for Experiments (DCAFE) that enables experiment automation and control in a distributed environment. Predictive analysis of adversaries is another thorny issue in cyber security. Game theory can be used to mathematically analyze adversary models, but its scalability limitations restrict its use. Computational game theory allows us to scale classical game theory to larger,more » more complex systems. In the second paper, we propose a framework termed Coevolutionary Agent-based Network Defense Lightweight Event System (CANDLES) that can coevolve attacker and defender agent strategies and capabilities and evaluate potential solutions with a custom network defense simulation. The third paper is a continuation of the CANDLES project in which we rewrote key parts of the framework. Attackers and defenders have been redesigned to evolve pure strategy, and a new network security simulation is devised which specifies network architecture and adds a temporal aspect. We also add a hill climber algorithm to evaluate the search space and justify the use of a coevolutionary algorithm.« less

Stationary Anonymous Sequential Games with Undiscounted Rewards.

PubMed

Więcek, Piotr; Altman, Eitan

Stationary anonymous sequential games with undiscounted rewards are a special class of games that combine features from both population games (infinitely many players) with stochastic games. We extend the theory for these games to the cases of total expected reward as well as to the expected average reward. We show that in the anonymous sequential game equilibria correspond to the limits of those of related finite population games as the number of players grows to infinity. We provide examples to illustrate our results.

Understanding the resistance to creating safer ice hockey: essential points for injury prevention.

PubMed

Todd, Ryan A; Soklaridis, Sophie; Treen, Alice K; Bhalerao, Shree U; Cusimano, Michael D

2017-11-27

Despite the known negative health outcomes of concussions in minor level boys' hockey, there has been significant resistance to creating a safer game with less body checking. To better understand cultural barriers that prevent making the sport safer for youth and adolescents, semistructured interviews, with 20 ice hockey stakeholders, were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Through this analysis, two primary concepts arose from respondents. The first concept is that body checking, despite the harm it can cause, should be done in a respectful sportsmanlike fashion. The second concept is the contradiction that the game of ice hockey is both dynamic and unchangeable. Using structural functionalist theory, we propose an argument that the unfortunate perpetuation of violence and body checking in youth ice hockey serves to maintain the social order of the game and its culture. Any strategies aimed at modifying and promoting healthy behaviour in the game should take these concepts into account. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Instructional Gaming: Implications for Instructional Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, John V.; And Others

Instructional gaming, as distinguished from simulation, is defined as any overt instructional or learning format that involves competition and is rule-guided. The literature review identifies five categories of articles on instructional gaming: (1) research, (2) theory, (3) reviews, (4) discussion, and (5) development. Games have been found to…

Criteria for Evaluating a Game-Based CALL Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ní Chiaráin, Neasa; Ní Chasaide, Ailbhe

2017-01-01

Game-based Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is an area that currently warrants attention, as task-based, interactive, multimodal games increasingly show promise for language learning. This area is inherently multidisciplinary--theories from second language acquisition, games, and psychology must be explored and relevant concepts from…

Robust Satellite Communications Under Hostile Interference

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-08

this analysis , was included in the simulations. Figure 17. STK Simulation Showing SNR Measured During the Uplink Attack (at the Jammer) 4.3...in Decision and Game Theory for Security, pp. 34–43, 2011. 8. Wertz, J. R., and Larson, W. J., Space Mission Analysis and Design, Microcosm, 1999...15  3.2  Analysis of Reactive Jamming Against Satellite Communications ............................... 15  3.2.1

Differential games in economic systems with delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, A. V.; Kormyshev, V. M.; Novikov, M. Yu.; Nikonov, M. A.

2017-11-01

In the paper, we consider application of i-smooth analysis (A.V. Kim, 2015) to differential games with delays in economics (Dockner E.J., et all, 2000; R. Isaacs, 1999). The approach is developed in the framework of the theory of positional differential games (N.N. Krasovskii, A.I. Subbotin, 1988; A.V. Kryazhimskii, Yu.S. Osipov, 1973; Yu.S. Osipov, J. Appl. Math. Mech. Vol. 35, № 1, № 6, 1971) and is based on application of the extremal shift strategy. We consider basic notions and constructions of the approach-evasion problem for linear systems with delays. The necessary and sufficient conditions of solvability the approach-evasion problem in terms of special u-stable sets are presented in another paper.

University Advertising and Universality in Messaging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diel, Stan R.; Katsinas, Stephen

2018-01-01

University and college institutional advertisements, which typically are broadcast as public service announcements during the halftime of football games, were the subject of a quantitative analysis focused on commonality in messaging and employment of the semiotic theory of brand advertising. Findings indicate advertisements focus on students'…

Altruistic behavior pays, or the importance of fluctuations in evolutionary game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez, Angel; Cuesta, José A.; Roca, Carlos P.

2005-07-01

Human behavior is one of the main problems for evolution, as it is often the case that human actions are disadvantageous for the self and advantageous for other people. Behind this puzzle are our beliefs about rational behavior, based on game theory. Here we show that by going beyond the standard game-theoretical conventions, apparently altruistic behavior can be understood as self-interested. We discuss in detail an example related to the so called Ultimatum game and illustrate the appearance of altruistic behavior induced by fluctuations. In addition, we claim that in general settings, fluctuations play a very relevant role, and we support this claim by considering a completely different example, namely the Stag-Hunt game.

Excellent gamer, excellent driver? The impact of adolescents' video game playing on driving behavior: a two-wave panel study.

PubMed

Beullens, Kathleen; Roe, Keith; Van den Bulck, Jan

2011-01-01

This study explored the impact of adolescents' playing of racing and drive'em up games on their risky driving behavior. Participants were 354 adolescent boys and girls who took part in a longitudinal panel survey on video game playing and risk taking attitudes, intentions and behaviors. In line with cultivation theory and theory of planned behavior the results showed that (even after controlling for aggression and sensation seeking) video game playing during adolescence succeeded in predicting later risky driving behavior through adolescents' attitudes and intentions to exhibit this behavior in the future. The results suggest that this relationship may in part be explained by the game content. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Geometry of the Arms Race. Applications of Elementary Game Theory to International Relations. Modules and Monographs in Undergraduate Mathematics and Its Applications Project. UMAP Unit 311.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brams, Steven J.; And Others

This unit views applications of elementary game theory to international relations. It is noted that of all the significant world problems, the nuclear arms race has proved one of the most intractable. The main concern of the module is to investigate a possible solution to the arms race, based on extending the classic two-person game of Prisoner's…

A Five-Species Jungle Game.

PubMed

Kang, Yibin; Pan, Qiuhui; Wang, Xueting; He, Mingfeng

2016-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the five-species Jungle game in the framework of evolutionary game theory. We address the coexistence and biodiversity of the system using mean-field theory and Monte Carlo simulations. Then, we find that the inhibition from the bottom-level species to the top-level species can be critical factors that affect biodiversity, no matter how it is distributed, whether homogeneously well mixed or structured. We also find that predators' different preferences for food affect species' coexistence.

Cooperation, psychological game theory, and limitations of rationality in social interaction.

PubMed

Colman, Andrew M

2003-04-01

Rational choice theory enjoys unprecedented popularity and influence in the behavioral and social sciences, but it generates intractable problems when applied to socially interactive decisions. In individual decisions, instrumental rationality is defined in terms of expected utility maximization. This becomes problematic in interactive decisions, when individuals have only partial control over the outcomes, because expected utility maximization is undefined in the absence of assumptions about how the other participants will behave. Game theory therefore incorporates not only rationality but also common knowledge assumptions, enabling players to anticipate their co-players' strategies. Under these assumptions, disparate anomalies emerge. Instrumental rationality, conventionally interpreted, fails to explain intuitively obvious features of human interaction, yields predictions starkly at variance with experimental findings, and breaks down completely in certain cases. In particular, focal point selection in pure coordination games is inexplicable, though it is easily achieved in practice; the intuitively compelling payoff-dominance principle lacks rational justification; rationality in social dilemmas is self-defeating; a key solution concept for cooperative coalition games is frequently inapplicable; and rational choice in certain sequential games generates contradictions. In experiments, human players behave more cooperatively and receive higher payoffs than strict rationality would permit. Orthodox conceptions of rationality are evidently internally deficient and inadequate for explaining human interaction. Psychological game theory, based on nonstandard assumptions, is required to solve these problems, and some suggestions along these lines have already been put forward.

Oil supply between OPEC and non-OPEC based on game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yuwen; Yi, Jiexin; Yan, Wei; Yang, Xinshe; Zhang, Song; Gao, Yifan; Wang, Xi

2014-10-01

The competing strategies between OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and non-OPEC producers make the oil supply market a complex system, and thus, it is very difficult to model and to make predictions. In this paper, we combine the macro-model based on game theory and micro-model to propose a new approach for forecasting oil supply. We take into account the microscopic behaviour in the clearing market and also use the game relationships to adjust oil supplies in our approach. For the supply model, we analyse and consider the different behaviour of non-OPEC and OPEC producers. According to our analysis, limiting the oil supply, and thus maintaining oil price, is the best strategy for OPEC in the low-price scenario, while the rising supply is the best strategy in the high-price scenario. No matter what the oil price is, the dominant strategy for non-OPEC producers is to increase their oil supply. In the high-price scenario, OPEC will try to deplete non-OPEC's share in the oil supply market, which is to OPEC's advantage.

Foundations of Game-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plass, Jan L.; Homer, Bruce D.; Kinzer, Charles K.

2015-01-01

In this article we argue that to study or apply games as learning environments, multiple perspectives have to be taken into account. We first define game-based learning and gamification, and then discuss theoretical models that describe learning with games, arguing that playfulness is orthogonal to learning theory. We then review design elements…

SIMULATION GAMES AND SOCIAL THEORY. OCCASIONAL PAPER.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

COLEMAN, JAMES S.

GAMES INTEREST THE SOCIOLOGIST BY DEMONSTRATING MOTIVES AND BEHAVIOR THAT OCCUR IN REAL LIFE AND BY FACILITATING LEARNING THROUGH THEIR RULES, REWARDS, AND LOSSES. SOCIAL SIMULATION GAMES EXPLICITLY MIRROR CERTAIN SOCIAL PROCESSES. EXAMPLES ARE (1) THE FAMILY GAME, BETWEEN CHILD AND PARENT AND THE COMMUNITY OF CHILDREN AND PARENTS, (2) THE…

Using a TV Game Show to Explain the Concept of a Dominant Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trandel, Gregory A.

1999-01-01

Illustrates the game-theory concept of a dominant strategy using the MTV-network game show "Singled Out." Describes how the game show works and why this makes it attractive as an example of strategic behavior. Presents examples of how the show is used in class. (DSK)

Theorycrafting the Classroom: Constructing the Introductory Technical Communication Course as a Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finseth, Carly

2015-01-01

When games are approached as a pedagogical methodology, the homologies between games and technical communication are highlighted: pedagogy that teaches people to play and succeed within certain confines; classroom assessment that provides meaningful feedback to encourage self-improvement; instructional design that incorporates gaming theory and…

Role Playing Games for Scientific Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaydos, Matthew J.; Squire, Kurt D.

2012-01-01

Research has shown that video games can be good for learning, particularly for STEM topics. However, in order for games to be scalable and sustainable, associated research must move beyond considerations of efficacy towards theories that account for classroom ecologies of students and teachers. This study asks how a digital game called "Citizen…

Yokoi's Theory of Lateral Innovation: Applications for Learning Game Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Scott J.; Jones, Greg

2008-01-01

There are several major challenges for instructional designers seeking to design learning games. These include the lack of access, the cost of rapidly advancing/expensive technology tools that make developing games uneconomical, the institutional time constraints limiting game use, and the concerns that schools lack sufficiently robust computer…

Using Games to Creatively Enhance the Counselor Education Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swank, Jacqueline M.

2012-01-01

Utilizing games within the classroom may assist counselor educators with enhancing learning. Counselor educators may integrate games within the curriculum to assist students in learning and developing self-awareness and to assess knowledge and skills. This article describes the utilization of games within experiential-learning theory and presents…

Practical application of game theory based production flow planning method in virtual manufacturing networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olender, M.; Krenczyk, D.

2016-08-01

Modern enterprises have to react quickly to dynamic changes in the market, due to changing customer requirements and expectations. One of the key area of production management, that must continuously evolve by searching for new methods and tools for increasing the efficiency of manufacturing systems is the area of production flow planning and control. These aspects are closely connected with the ability to implement the concept of Virtual Enterprises (VE) and Virtual Manufacturing Network (VMN) in which integrated infrastructure of flexible resources are created. In the proposed approach, the players role perform the objects associated with the objective functions, allowing to solve the multiobjective production flow planning problems based on the game theory, which is based on the theory of the strategic situation. For defined production system and production order models ways of solving the problem of production route planning in VMN on computational examples for different variants of production flow is presented. Possible decision strategy to use together with an analysis of calculation results is shown.

Psychological vulnerability and problem gambling: an application of Durand Jacobs' general theory of addictions to electronic gaming machine playing in Australia.

PubMed

McCormick, Jessica; Delfabbro, Paul; Denson, Linley A

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to conduct an empirical investigation of the validity of Jacobs' (in J Gambl Behav 2:15-31, 1986) general theory of addictions in relation to gambling problems associated with electronic gaming machines (EGM). Regular EGM gamblers (n = 190) completed a series of standardised measures relating to psychological and physiological vulnerability, substance use, dissociative experiences, early childhood trauma and abuse and problem gambling (the Problem Gambling Severity Index). Statistical analysis using structural equation modelling revealed clear relationships between childhood trauma and life stressors and psychological vulnerability, dissociative-like experiences and problem gambling. These findings confirm and extend a previous model validated by Gupta and Derevensky (in J Gambl Stud 14: 17-49, 1998) using an adolescent population. The significance of these findings are discussed for existing pathway models of problem gambling, for Jacobs' theory, and for clinicians engaged in assessment and intervention.

Dealing with Piaget: Analyzing Card Games for Understanding Concepts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisskirch, Robert S.

Students who take developmental psychology courses have difficulty applying theoretical concepts to situations separate from the context of theory. When learning about Piagetian theory, students often confine their understanding to demonstrations of conservation tasks. Analyzing Card Games, an active learning activity, allows students to apply the…

Evolutionary Game Theory and Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guastello, Stephen J.

2009-01-01

Comments on the article Leadership, followership, and evolution: Some lessons from the past by Van Vugt, Hogan, and Kaiser. This article offers a fresh perspective on leaders, followers, and their possible origins in nonhuman and primitive human behavior patterns. The connections between group coordination, leadership, and game theory have some…

An Examination of Game-Based Learning from Theories of Flow Experience and Cognitive Load

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Chih-Hung; Chu, Chih-Ming; Liu, Hsiang-Hsuan; Yang, Shun-Bo; Chen, Wei-Hsuan

2013-01-01

This study aims to discuss whether game-based learning with the integration of games and digital learning could enhance not only the flow experience in learning but achieve the same flow experience in pure games. In addition, the authors discovered that whether the game-based learning could make learners to reveal higher cognitive load. The…

Game Theory of Mind

PubMed Central

Yoshida, Wako; Dolan, Ray J.; Friston, Karl J.

2008-01-01

This paper introduces a model of ‘theory of mind’, namely, how we represent the intentions and goals of others to optimise our mutual interactions. We draw on ideas from optimum control and game theory to provide a ‘game theory of mind’. First, we consider the representations of goals in terms of value functions that are prescribed by utility or rewards. Critically, the joint value functions and ensuing behaviour are optimised recursively, under the assumption that I represent your value function, your representation of mine, your representation of my representation of yours, and so on ad infinitum. However, if we assume that the degree of recursion is bounded, then players need to estimate the opponent's degree of recursion (i.e., sophistication) to respond optimally. This induces a problem of inferring the opponent's sophistication, given behavioural exchanges. We show it is possible to deduce whether players make inferences about each other and quantify their sophistication on the basis of choices in sequential games. This rests on comparing generative models of choices with, and without, inference. Model comparison is demonstrated using simulated and real data from a ‘stag-hunt’. Finally, we note that exactly the same sophisticated behaviour can be achieved by optimising the utility function itself (through prosocial utility), producing unsophisticated but apparently altruistic agents. This may be relevant ethologically in hierarchal game theory and coevolution. PMID:19112488

Adaptive, Distributed Control of Constrained Multi-Agent Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bieniawski, Stefan; Wolpert, David H.

2004-01-01

Product Distribution (PO) theory was recently developed as a broad framework for analyzing and optimizing distributed systems. Here we demonstrate its use for adaptive distributed control of Multi-Agent Systems (MASS), i.e., for distributed stochastic optimization using MAS s. First we review one motivation of PD theory, as the information-theoretic extension of conventional full-rationality game theory to the case of bounded rational agents. In this extension the equilibrium of the game is the optimizer of a Lagrangian of the (Probability dist&&on on the joint state of the agents. When the game in question is a team game with constraints, that equilibrium optimizes the expected value of the team game utility, subject to those constraints. One common way to find that equilibrium is to have each agent run a Reinforcement Learning (E) algorithm. PD theory reveals this to be a particular type of search algorithm for minimizing the Lagrangian. Typically that algorithm i s quite inefficient. A more principled alternative is to use a variant of Newton's method to minimize the Lagrangian. Here we compare this alternative to RL-based search in three sets of computer experiments. These are the N Queen s problem and bin-packing problem from the optimization literature, and the Bar problem from the distributed RL literature. Our results confirm that the PD-theory-based approach outperforms the RL-based scheme in all three domains.

On the complex interplay between learning and dynamics in life sciences. Comment on the paper "Collective learning modeling based on the kinetic theory of active particles" by Burini et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellomo, Nicola; Elaiw, Ahmed; Alghamdi, Mohamed Ali

2016-03-01

The paper by Burini, De Lillo, and Gibelli [8] presents an overview and critical analysis of the literature on the modeling of learning dynamics. The first reference is the celebrated paper by Cucker and Smale [9]. Then, the authors also propose their own approach, based on suitable development of methods of the kinetic theory [6] and theoretical tools of evolutionary game theory [12,13], recently developed on graphs [2].

Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qian; Gosik, Kirk; Xing, Sujuan; Jiang, Libo; Sun, Lidan; Chinchilli, Vernon M.; Wu, Rongling

2017-03-01

Epigenetic reprogramming is thought to play a critical role in maintaining the normal development of embryos. How the methylation state of paternal and maternal genomes regulates embryogenesis depends on the interaction and coordination of the gametes of two sexes. While there is abundant research in exploring the epigenetic interactions of sperms and oocytes, a knowledge gap exists in the mechanistic quantitation of these interactions and their impact on embryo development. This review aims at formulating a modeling framework to address this gap through the integration and synthesis of evolutionary game theory and the latest discoveries of the epigenetic control of embryo development by next-generation sequencing. This framework, named epigenetic game theory or epiGame, views embryogenesis as an ecological system in which two highly distinct and specialized gametes coordinate through either cooperation or competition, or both, to maximize the fitness of embryos under Darwinian selection. By implementing a system of ordinary differential equations, epiGame quantifies the pattern and relative magnitude of the methylation effects on embryogenesis by the mechanisms of cooperation and competition. epiGame may gain new insight into reproductive biology and can be potentially applied to design personalized medicines for genetic disorder intervention.

The Neglect of Monotone Comparative Statics Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tremblay, Carol Horton; Tremblay, Victor J.

2010-01-01

Monotone methods enable comparative static analysis without the restrictive assumptions of the implicit-function theorem. Ease of use and flexibility in solving comparative static and game-theory problems have made monotone methods popular in the economics literature and in graduate courses, but they are still absent from undergraduate…

Control Theoretic Modeling for Uncertain Cultural Attitudes and Unknown Adversarial Intent

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-01

Constructive computational tools. 15. SUBJECT TERMS social learning, social networks , multiagent systems, game theory 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: a...over- reactionary behaviors; 3) analysis of rational social learning in networks : analysis of belief propagation in social networks in various...general methodology as a predictive device for social network formation and for communication network formation with constraints on the lengths of

A Five-Species Jungle Game

PubMed Central

Kang, Yibin; Pan, Qiuhui; Wang, Xueting; He, Mingfeng

2016-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the five-species Jungle game in the framework of evolutionary game theory. We address the coexistence and biodiversity of the system using mean-field theory and Monte Carlo simulations. Then, we find that the inhibition from the bottom-level species to the top-level species can be critical factors that affect biodiversity, no matter how it is distributed, whether homogeneously well mixed or structured. We also find that predators’ different preferences for food affect species’ coexistence. PMID:27332995

Induced attitude change on online gaming among adolescents: an application of the less-leads-to-more effect.

PubMed

Chiou, Wen-Bin

2008-04-01

The negative impact of Internet use on adolescents has received much popular attention and has also become a popular research topic. How to induce adolescent players to change their attitudes toward online gaming is one of the most important issues in online gaming addiction. The present study is based on the less-leads-to-more effect of dissonance theory. Experimental research was conducted to examine the effects of rewards and decision freedom on attitude change toward online gaming among adolescents considered at risk for addiction. The results supported predictions based on external justification in dissonance theory. Specifically, fewer rewards produced greater attitude change toward online gaming in the condition of personal freedom of choice after participants exhibited attitude-discrepant behavior. However, the less-leads-to-more effect was not prominent in the condition without personal freedom of choice. Adopting a reward strategy to induce game players to disengage online gaming is discussed.

Generating functional analysis of minority games with inner product strategy definitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coolen, A. C. C.; Shayeghi, N.

2008-08-01

We use generating functional methods to solve the so-called inner product versions of the minority game (MG), with fake and/or real market histories, by generalizing the theory developed recently for look-up table MGs with real histories. The phase diagrams of the look-up table and inner product MG versions are generally found to be identical, with the exception of inner product MGs where histories are sampled linearly, which are found to be structurally critical. However, we encounter interesting differences both in the theory (where the role of the history frequency distribution in look-up table MGs is taken over by the eigenvalue spectrum of a history covariance matrix in inner product MGs) and in the static and dynamic phenomenology of the models. Our theoretical predictions are supported by numerical simulations.

Educational Game Design as Gateway for Operationalizing Computational Thinking Skills among Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Min Lun

2018-01-01

This qualitative case study reports descriptive findings of digital game-based learning involving 15 Taiwanese middle school students' use of computational thinking skills elicited through programmed activities in a game design workshop. Situated learning theory is utilized as framework to evaluate novice game designers' individual advancement in…

Health Education Video Games for Children and Adolescents: Theory, Design, and Research Findings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieberman, Debra A.

This study examined whether video games could be effective health education and therapeutic interventions for children and adolescents with diabetes. KIDZ Health Software developed a game about diabetes self-management, and tested its effectiveness for children with diabetes. The Packy and Marlon Super Nintendo video game promotes fun,…

Toward Understanding the Potential of Games for Learning: Learning Theory, Game Design Characteristics, and Situating Video Games in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turkay, Selen; Hoffman, Daniel; Kinzer, Charles K.; Chantes, Pantiphar; Vicari, Christopher

2014-01-01

Researchers have argued that an effort should be made to raise teachers' and parents' awareness of the potentially positive educational benefits of playing video games (e.g., see Baek, 2008). One part of this effort should be to increase understanding of how video games can be situated within teachers' existing goals and knowledge…

Prisoner's Dogmatism Scores and Creative Alternative Game Behavior under Full Communication and Real Reward Conditions: A Correlational Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seibold, David R.; Steinfatt, Thomas M.

To extend information on communication to game theory, a study was conducted (1) to determine whether there was a relationship between dogmatism of players in a creative alternative game and their game behavior, and (2) to compare the behavior of federal prison inmates playing a game under conditions of real rewards and full communication…

Causes analysis on the failure of government environmental responsibility—Based on the perspective of law and economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fa, L. N.

2017-11-01

As the important Environmental Interests of Subjects, government behooves to undertake the corresponding responsibility of Pollution Control and Environmental Protection. The current situations in our country, however, appear as government environmental responsibility failure. Based on the analysis of law and economics, this article reaches the conclusion through game analysis, principle-agency relationship and utility theory that the prisoners dilemma of environmental interest game between government and enterprise, and the inherent defect of the principal-agency relationship between central government and local government are the inherent causes of government environmental responsibility failure. Many officials tends to graft and corrupt to maximum their own benefit, thus leading to the government failure among environmental pollution treatment and the environmental responsibility to undertake.

Toward an Extension of Decision Analysis to Competitive Situations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

order to deal with competition may ease the use of non- von Neumann-Morgenstern utility. This leads to our secondary goal of questioning expected...While von WInterfeldt [1980] attempted a 5 (more detailed analysis using three separate decision trees, one for each side In the dispute, he felt that...rationality generally used In game theory derives from the same roots as the calculated rationality of Decision Analysis, von Neumann and

Development and User Satisfaction of "Plan-It Commander," a Serious Game for Children with ADHD.

PubMed

Bul, Kim C M; Franken, Ingmar H A; Van der Oord, Saskia; Kato, Pamela M; Danckaerts, Marina; Vreeke, Leonie J; Willems, Annik; van Oers, Helga J J; van den Heuvel, Ria; van Slagmaat, Rens; Maras, Athanasios

2015-12-01

The need for engaging treatment approaches within mental health care has led to the application of gaming approaches to existing behavioral training programs (i.e., gamification). Because children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to have fewer problems with concentration and engagement when playing digital games, applying game technologies and design approaches to complement treatment may be a useful means to engage this population in their treatment. Unfortunately, gamified training programs currently available for ADHD have been limited in their ability to demonstrate in-game behavior skills that generalize to daily life situations. Therefore, we developed a new serious game (called "Plan-It Commander") that was specifically designed to promote behavioral learning and promotes strategy use in domains of daily life functioning such as time management, planning/organizing, and prosocial skills that are known to be problematic for children with ADHD. An interdisciplinary team contributed to the development of the game. The game's content and approach are based on psychological principles from the Self-Regulation Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Learning Theory. In this article, game development and the scientific background of the behavioral approach are described, as well as results of a survey (n = 42) to gather user feedback on the first prototype of the game. The findings suggest that participants were satisfied with this game and provided the basis for further development and research to the game. Implications for developing serious games and applying user feedback in game development are discussed.

Using game theory to investigate the epigenetic control mechanisms of embryo development: Comment on: "Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition" by Qian Wang et al.

PubMed

Zhang, Le; Zhang, Shaoxiang

2017-03-01

A body of research [1-7] has already shown that epigenetic reprogramming plays a critical role in maintaining the normal development of embryos. However, the mechanistic quantitation of the epigenetic interactions between sperms and oocytes and the related impact on embryo development are still not clear [6,7]. In this study, Wang et al., [8] develop a modeling framework that addresses this question by integrating game theory and the latest discoveries of the epigenetic control of embryo development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gamification and serious games for personalized health.

PubMed

McCallum, Simon

2012-01-01

Computer games are no longer just a trivial activity played by children in arcades. Social networking and casual gaming have broadened the market for, and acceptance of, games. This has coincided with a realization of their power to engage and motivate players. Good computer games are excellent examples of modern educational theory [1]. The military, health providers, governments, and educators, all use computer games. This paper focuses on Games for Health, discussing the range of areas and approaches to developing these games. We extend a taxonomy for Games for Health, describe a case study on games for dementia sufferers, and finally, present some challenges and research opportunities in this area.

Role of immersion (transportation) in health video games

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recent empirical studies have shown that narratives can serve as powerful tools for health behavior change. According to theory, the more a narrative immerses or transports a person into a story world, the more consistent their beliefs and behaviors should be with the narrative. As the first analysi...

Evolutionary game theory and multiple chemical sensitivity.

PubMed

Newlin, D B

1999-01-01

Newlin's [Newlin D.B. Evolutionary game theory of tolerance and sensitization in substance abuse. Paper presented to the Research Society on Alcoholism, Hilton Head, SC, 1998] evolutionary game theory of addictive behavior specifies how evolutionarily stable strategies for survival and reproduction may lead to addiction. The game theory of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) assumes that: (1) the MCS patient responds to low-level toxicants as stressors or as direct threats to their survival and reproductive fitness, (2) this activates the cortico-mesolimbic dopamine system, (3) this system is a survival motivation center--not a 'reward center', (4) the subject emits a counter-response that is in the same direction as the naive response to the chemicals, (5) previously neutral stimuli associated with chemicals also trigger conditioned responses that mimic those to the chemicals, (6) these counter-responses further activate the dopaminergic survival motivation system, and (7) this produces a positive feedback loop that leads to strong neural sensitization in these structures and in behavior controlled by this system, despite a small initial response. Psychologically, the MCS patient with a sensitized cortico-mesolimbic dopamine system is behaving as though his/her survival is directly threatened by these chemicals. Non-MCS subjects have counter-responses opposite in direction to those of the chemicals and show tolerance. An autoshaping/sign-tracking model of this game is discussed. This evolutionary game makes several specific, testable predictions about differences between MCS subjects, non-MCS controls, and substance abusers in laboratory experiments, and between sensitized and nonsensitized animals.

Integrating Health Behavior Theory and Design Elements in Serious Games

PubMed Central

Fleming, Theresa; Lucassen, Mathijs FG; Bridgman, Heather; Stasiak, Karolina; Shepherd, Matthew; Orpin, Peter

2015-01-01

Background Internet interventions for improving health and well-being have the potential to reach many people and fill gaps in service provision. Serious gaming interfaces provide opportunities to optimize user adherence and impact. Health interventions based in theory and evidence and tailored to psychological constructs have been found to be more effective to promote behavior change. Defining the design elements which engage users and help them to meet their goals can contribute to better informed serious games. Objective To elucidate design elements important in SPARX, a serious game for adolescents with depression, from a user-centered perspective. Methods We proposed a model based on an established theory of health behavior change and practical features of serious game design to organize ideas and rationale. We analyzed data from 5 studies comprising a total of 22 focus groups and 66 semistructured interviews conducted with youth and families in New Zealand and Australia who had viewed or used SPARX. User perceptions of the game were applied to this framework. Results A coherent framework was established using the three constructs of self-determination theory (SDT), autonomy, competence, and relatedness, to organize user perceptions and design elements within four areas important in design: computer game, accessibility, working alliance, and learning in immersion. User perceptions mapped well to the framework, which may assist developers in understanding the context of user needs. By mapping these elements against the constructs of SDT, we were able to propose a sound theoretical base for the model. Conclusions This study’s method allowed for the articulation of design elements in a serious game from a user-centered perspective within a coherent overarching framework. The framework can be used to deliberately incorporate serious game design elements that support a user’s sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, key constructs which have been found to mediate motivation at all stages of the change process. The resulting model introduces promising avenues for future exploration. Involving users in program design remains an imperative if serious games are to be fit for purpose. PMID:26543916

Information Theory - The Bridge Connecting Bounded Rational Game Theory and Statistical Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolpert, David H.

2005-01-01

A long-running difficulty with conventional game theory has been how to modify it to accommodate the bounded rationality of all red-world players. A recurring issue in statistical physics is how best to approximate joint probability distributions with decoupled (and therefore far more tractable) distributions. This paper shows that the same information theoretic mathematical structure, known as Product Distribution (PD) theory, addresses both issues. In this, PD theory not only provides a principle formulation of bounded rationality and a set of new types of mean field theory in statistical physics; it also shows that those topics are fundamentally one and the same.

Applying Developmental Theory and Research to the Creation of Educational Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Revelle, Glenda

2013-01-01

The field of developmental psychology has produced abundant theory and research about the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children; however, to date there has been limited use of this wealth of knowledge by developers creating games for children. This chapter provides an overview of key theoretical observations and…

Analysis of Managing Safety in Small Enterprises: Dual-Effects of Employee Prosocial Safety Behavior and Government Inspection

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This paper aims to promote a national and international occupational health and safety (OHS) intervention for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within internal and external resources. Based on the characteristics of small SME management, the work environment and occupational health may be positively affected by the dual-effects of employees and government. Evolutionary game theory is utilized to identify relevant interactions among the government, small enterprises, and employees. Furthermore, dynamic simulations of the evolutionary game model are used to explore stability strategies and to identify modes of equilibrium. PMID:29707574

Game-theoretic approach to joint transmitter adaptation and power control in wireless systems.

PubMed

Popescu, Dimitrie C; Rawat, Danda B; Popescu, Otilia; Saquib, Mohamad

2010-06-01

Game theory has emerged as a new mathematical tool in the analysis and design of wireless communication systems, being particularly useful in studying the interactions among adaptive transmitters that attempt to achieve specific objectives without cooperation. In this paper, we present a game-theoretic approach to the problem of joint transmitter adaptation and power control in wireless systems, where users' transmissions are subject to quality-of-service requirements specified in terms of target signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios (SINRs) and nonideal vector channels between transmitters and receivers are explicitly considered. Our approach is based on application of separable games, which are a specific class of noncooperative games where the players' cost is a separable function of their strategic choices. We formally state a joint codeword and power adaptation game, which is separable, and we study its properties in terms of its subgames, namely, the codeword adaptation subgame and the power adaptation subgame. We investigate the necessary conditions for an optimal Nash equilibrium and show that this corresponds to an ensemble of user codewords and powers, which maximizes the sum capacity of the corresponding multiaccess vector channel model, and for which the specified target SINRs are achieved with minimum transmitted power.

Action Being Character: A Promising Perspective on the Solution Concept of Game Theory

PubMed Central

Deng, Kuiying; Chu, Tianguang

2011-01-01

The inconsistency of predictions from solution concepts of conventional game theory with experimental observations is an enduring question. These solution concepts are based on the canonical rationality assumption that people are exclusively self-regarding utility maximizers. In this article, we think this assumption is problematic and, instead, assume that rational economic agents act as if they were maximizing their implicit utilities, which turns out to be a natural extension of the canonical rationality assumption. Implicit utility is defined by a player's character to reflect his personal weighting between cooperative, individualistic, and competitive social value orientations. The player who actually faces an implicit game chooses his strategy based on the common belief about the character distribution for a general player and the self-estimation of his own character, and he is not concerned about which strategies other players will choose and will never feel regret about his decision. It is shown by solving five paradigmatic games, the Dictator game, the Ultimatum game, the Prisoner's Dilemma game, the Public Goods game, and the Battle of the Sexes game, that the framework of implicit game and its corresponding solution concept, implicit equilibrium, based on this alternative assumption have potential for better explaining people's actual behaviors in social decision making situations. PMID:21573055

Action being character: a promising perspective on the solution concept of game theory.

PubMed

Deng, Kuiying; Chu, Tianguang

2011-05-09

The inconsistency of predictions from solution concepts of conventional game theory with experimental observations is an enduring question. These solution concepts are based on the canonical rationality assumption that people are exclusively self-regarding utility maximizers. In this article, we think this assumption is problematic and, instead, assume that rational economic agents act as if they were maximizing their implicit utilities, which turns out to be a natural extension of the canonical rationality assumption. Implicit utility is defined by a player's character to reflect his personal weighting between cooperative, individualistic, and competitive social value orientations. The player who actually faces an implicit game chooses his strategy based on the common belief about the character distribution for a general player and the self-estimation of his own character, and he is not concerned about which strategies other players will choose and will never feel regret about his decision. It is shown by solving five paradigmatic games, the Dictator game, the Ultimatum game, the Prisoner's Dilemma game, the Public Goods game, and the Battle of the Sexes game, that the framework of implicit game and its corresponding solution concept, implicit equilibrium, based on this alternative assumption have potential for better explaining people's actual behaviors in social decision making situations.

A Probabilistic-Numerical Approximation for an Obstacle Problem Arising in Game Theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gruen, Christine, E-mail: christine.gruen@univ-brest.fr

We investigate a two-player zero-sum stochastic differential game in which one of the players has more information on the game than his opponent. We show how to construct numerical schemes for the value function of this game, which is given by the solution of a quasilinear partial differential equation with obstacle.

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games as Arenas for Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Mark

2010-01-01

This article investigates contemporary research on the use of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) in language education. The development and key features of these games are explored. This is followed by an examination of the theories proposed as a basis for game-based learning, and the claims made regarding the value of…

Multiplayer Online Games as Educational Tools: Facing New Challenges in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paraskeva, Fotini; Mysirlaki, Sofia; Papagianni, Aikaterini

2010-01-01

This paper outlines a proposal for the development of educational multiplayer online games based on the activity theory, as an alternative to the current trend in multiplayer gaming and a means of promoting collaboration among students. In order to examine whether online games are engaging for learners, we consider multiple factors regarding game…

On the Short Horizon of Spontaneous Iterative Reasoning in Logical Puzzles and Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazzocco, Ketti; Cherubini, Anna Maria; Cherubini, Paolo

2013-01-01

A reasoning strategy is iterative when the initial conclusion suggested by a set of premises is integrated into that set of premises in order to yield additional conclusions. Previous experimental studies on game theory-based strategic games (such as the beauty contest game) observed difficulty in reasoning iteratively, which has been partly…

"They may be pixels, but they're MY pixels:" developing a metric of character attachment in role-playing video games.

PubMed

Lewis, Melissa L; Weber, René; Bowman, Nicholas David

2008-08-01

This paper proposes a new and reliable metric for measuring character attachment (CA), the connection felt by a video game player toward a video game character. Results of construct validity analyses indicate that the proposed CA scale has a significant relationship with self-esteem, addiction, game enjoyment, and time spent playing games; all of these relationships are predicted by theory. Additionally, CA levels for role-playing games differ significantly from CA levels of other character-driven games.

Cyclic Game Dynamics Driven by Iterated Reasoning

PubMed Central

Frey, Seth; Goldstone, Robert L.

2013-01-01

Recent theories from complexity science argue that complex dynamics are ubiquitous in social and economic systems. These claims emerge from the analysis of individually simple agents whose collective behavior is surprisingly complicated. However, economists have argued that iterated reasoning–what you think I think you think–will suppress complex dynamics by stabilizing or accelerating convergence to Nash equilibrium. We report stable and efficient periodic behavior in human groups playing the Mod Game, a multi-player game similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game rewards subjects for thinking exactly one step ahead of others in their group. Groups that play this game exhibit cycles that are inconsistent with any fixed-point solution concept. These cycles are driven by a “hopping” behavior that is consistent with other accounts of iterated reasoning: agents are constrained to about two steps of iterated reasoning and learn an additional one-half step with each session. If higher-order reasoning can be complicit in complex emergent dynamics, then cyclic and chaotic patterns may be endogenous features of real-world social and economic systems. PMID:23441191

Connes' embedding problem and winning strategies for quantum XOR games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Samuel J.

2017-12-01

We consider quantum XOR games, defined in the work of Regev and Vidick [ACM Trans. Comput. Theory 7, 43 (2015)], from the perspective of unitary correlations defined in the work of Harris and Paulsen [Integr. Equations Oper. Theory 89, 125 (2017)]. We show that the winning bias of a quantum XOR game in the tensor product model (respectively, the commuting model) is equal to the norm of its associated linear functional on the unitary correlation set from the appropriate model. We show that Connes' embedding problem has a positive answer if and only if every quantum XOR game has entanglement bias equal to the commuting bias. In particular, the embedding problem is equivalent to determining whether every quantum XOR game G with a winning strategy in the commuting model also has a winning strategy in the approximate finite-dimensional model.

Learning and dynamics in social systems. Comment on "Collective learning modeling based on the kinetic theory of active particles" by D. Burini et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolfin, Marina

2016-03-01

The interesting novelty of the paper by Burini et al. [1] is that the authors present a survey and a new approach of collective learning based on suitable development of methods of the kinetic theory [2] and theoretical tools of evolutionary game theory [3]. Methods of statistical dynamics and kinetic theory lead naturally to stochastic and collective dynamics. Indeed, the authors propose the use of games where the state of the interacting entities is delivered by probability distributions.

Tackling sensitive issues using a game-based environment: serious game for relationships and sex education (RSE).

PubMed

Brown, Katherine; Arnab, Sylvester; Bayley, Julie; Newby, Katie; Joshi, Puja; Judd, Becky; Baxter, Alison; Clarke, Samatha

2012-01-01

Experiencing sexual coercion during adolescence can lead to adverse psychological and physical health outcomes for those affected. Eliminating such experiences is important for enhancing adolescent wellbeing, and the provision of good quality relationships and sex education (RSE) is needed. Engaging young people in sensitive subject matters in RSE can be challenging, and using Serious Gaming technology may support young people and educators in this process. This paper describes the use of Intervention mapping (IM) in the development of a serious game on the topic of sexual coercion for use in RSE. IM is a process that draws on stakeholder engagement and the theory and evidence base to support health improvement intervention planning. Serious game developers transformed the game concept 'flat plan' into an interactive gameshow. The game is teacher led and aims to engage students in game play and discussion around the issue of sexual coercion. The final product known as PR:EPARe (Positive Relationships: Eliminating Coercion and Pressure in Adolescent Relationships) is the subject of an ongoing cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) in local schools. Early data analysis shows improvements in psychological preparedness for dealing with sexual coercion against some change objectives. This work represents the first attempt to use IM in the development of a Serious Game and the use of Serious Gaming for RSE delivery. RCT work is ongoing and PR:EPARe will become part of local RSE delivery in the new school year. Plans for ensuring broader impact of the game are in development.

Modeling Multiple Human-Automation Distributed Systems using Network-form Games

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brat, Guillaume

2012-01-01

The paper describes at a high-level the network-form game framework (based on Bayes net and game theory), which can be used to model and analyze safety issues in large, distributed, mixed human-automation systems such as NextGen.

Short-term effects of prosocial video games on aggression: an event-related potential study

PubMed Central

Liu, Yanling; Teng, Zhaojun; Lan, Haiying; Zhang, Xin; Yao, Dezhong

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown that exposure to violent video games increases aggression, whereas exposure to prosocial video games can reduce aggressive behavior. However, little is known about the neural correlates of these behavioral effects. This work is the first to investigate the electrophysiological features of the relationship between playing a prosocial video game and inhibition of aggressive behavior. Forty-nine subjects played either a prosocial or a neutral video game for 20 min, then participated in an event-related potential (ERP) experiment based on an oddball paradigm and designed to test electrophysiological responses to prosocial and violent words. Finally, subjects completed a competitive reaction time task (CRTT) which based on Taylor's Aggression Paradigm and contains reaction time and noise intensity chosen as a measure of aggressive behavior. The results show that the prosocial video game group (compared to the neutral video game group) displayed smaller P300 amplitudes, were more accurate in distinguishing violent words, and were less aggressive as evaluated by the CRTT of noise intensity chosen. A mediation analysis shows that the P300 amplitude evoked by violent words partially mediates the relationship between type of video game and subsequent aggressive behavior. The results support theories based on the General Learning Model. We provide converging behavioral and neural evidence that exposure to prosocial media may reduce aggression. PMID:26257620

Short-term effects of prosocial video games on aggression: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Liu, Yanling; Teng, Zhaojun; Lan, Haiying; Zhang, Xin; Yao, Dezhong

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown that exposure to violent video games increases aggression, whereas exposure to prosocial video games can reduce aggressive behavior. However, little is known about the neural correlates of these behavioral effects. This work is the first to investigate the electrophysiological features of the relationship between playing a prosocial video game and inhibition of aggressive behavior. Forty-nine subjects played either a prosocial or a neutral video game for 20 min, then participated in an event-related potential (ERP) experiment based on an oddball paradigm and designed to test electrophysiological responses to prosocial and violent words. Finally, subjects completed a competitive reaction time task (CRTT) which based on Taylor's Aggression Paradigm and contains reaction time and noise intensity chosen as a measure of aggressive behavior. The results show that the prosocial video game group (compared to the neutral video game group) displayed smaller P300 amplitudes, were more accurate in distinguishing violent words, and were less aggressive as evaluated by the CRTT of noise intensity chosen. A mediation analysis shows that the P300 amplitude evoked by violent words partially mediates the relationship between type of video game and subsequent aggressive behavior. The results support theories based on the General Learning Model. We provide converging behavioral and neural evidence that exposure to prosocial media may reduce aggression.

Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition.

PubMed

Wang, Qian; Gosik, Kirk; Xing, Sujuan; Jiang, Libo; Sun, Lidan; Chinchilli, Vernon M; Wu, Rongling

2017-03-01

Epigenetic reprogramming is thought to play a critical role in maintaining the normal development of embryos. How the methylation state of paternal and maternal genomes regulates embryogenesis depends on the interaction and coordination of the gametes of two sexes. While there is abundant research in exploring the epigenetic interactions of sperms and oocytes, a knowledge gap exists in the mechanistic quantitation of these interactions and their impact on embryo development. This review aims at formulating a modeling framework to address this gap through the integration and synthesis of evolutionary game theory and the latest discoveries of the epigenetic control of embryo development by next-generation sequencing. This framework, named epigenetic game theory or epiGame, views embryogenesis as an ecological system in which two highly distinct and specialized gametes coordinate through either cooperation or competition, or both, to maximize the fitness of embryos under Darwinian selection. By implementing a system of ordinary differential equations, epiGame quantifies the pattern and relative magnitude of the methylation effects on embryogenesis by the mechanisms of cooperation and competition. epiGame may gain new insight into reproductive biology and can be potentially applied to design personalized medicines for genetic disorder intervention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Games and teams with shared constraints.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Ankur A

2017-08-13

Energy systems of the future are envisaged to encompass multiple interacting autonomous entities. The theory of games provides the foundations for the design and analysis of such systems. This paper reviews models and results that would be of use for such analysis. Classically, games have involved players whose strategies are coupled only through the dependence of utility functions on strategies of other players. However, in many practical settings in the energy domain, system-level limitations bind the choices players can make. In 1965, Rosen ( Econometrica 33 , 520-534 (doi:10.2307/1911749)) pioneered the study of a class of games where there is a common constraint, called a shared constraint , that couples the strategies available to the players. We discuss how this seemingly benign extension has important ramifications, ranging from the very definition of an equilibrium concept, to other key issues such as existence, uniqueness and efficiency of equilibria. We show how the presence of a shared constraint naturally leads to notions of a price and forms the motivations for more recent models. Although most of the paper has the character of a survey, occasionally we also prove new results.This article is part of the themed issue 'Energy management: flexibility, risk and optimization'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Merit and Justice: An Experimental Analysis of Attitude to Inequality

PubMed Central

Rustichini, Aldo; Vostroknutov, Alexander

2014-01-01

Merit and justice play a crucial role in ethical theory and political philosophy. Some theories view justice as allocation according to merit; others view justice as based on criteria of its own, and take merit and justice as two independent values. We study experimentally how these views are perceived. In our experiment subjects played two games (both against the computer): a game of skill and a game of luck. After each game they observed the earnings of all the subjects in the session, and thus the differences in outcomes. Each subject could reduce the winnings of one other person at a cost. The majority of the subjects used the option to subtract. The decision to subtract and the amount subtracted depended on whether the game was one of skill or luck, and on the distance between the earnings of the subject and those of others. Everything else being equal, subjects subtracted more in luck than in skill. In skill game, but not in luck, the subtraction becomes more likely, and the amount larger, as the distance increases. The results show that individuals considered favorable outcomes in luck to be undeserved, and thus felt more justified in subtracting. In the skill game instead, they considered more favorable outcomes (their own as well as others') as signal of ability and perhaps effort, which thus deserved merit; hence, they felt less motivated to subtract. However, a larger size of the unfavorable gap from the others increased the unpleasantness of poor performance, which in turn motivated larger subtraction. In conclusion, merit is attributed if and only if effort or skill significantly affect the outcome. An inequality of outcomes is viewed differently depending on whether merit causes the difference or not. Thus, merit and justice are strongly linked in the human perception of social order. PMID:25490094

Cancer heterogeneity and multilayer spatial evolutionary games.

PubMed

Świerniak, Andrzej; Krześlak, Michał

2016-10-13

Evolutionary game theory (EGT) has been widely used to simulate tumour processes. In almost all studies on EGT models analysis is limited to two or three phenotypes. Our model contains four main phenotypes. Moreover, in a standard approach only heterogeneity of populations is studied, while cancer cells remain homogeneous. A multilayer approach proposed in this paper enables to study heterogeneity of single cells. In the extended model presented in this paper we consider four strategies (phenotypes) that can arise by mutations. We propose multilayer spatial evolutionary games (MSEG) played on multiple 2D lattices corresponding to the possible phenotypes. It enables simulation and investigation of heterogeneity on the player-level in addition to the population-level. Moreover, it allows to model interactions between arbitrary many phenotypes resulting from the mixture of basic traits. Different equilibrium points and scenarios (monomorphic and polymorphic populations) have been achieved depending on model parameters and the type of played game. However, there is a possibility of stable quadromorphic population in MSEG games for the same set of parameters like for the mean-field game. The model assumes an existence of four possible phenotypes (strategies) in the population of cells that make up tumour. Various parameters and relations between cells lead to complex analysis of this model and give diverse results. One of them is a possibility of stable coexistence of different tumour cells within the population, representing almost arbitrary mixture of the basic phenotypes. This article was reviewed by Tomasz Lipniacki, Urszula Ledzewicz and Jacek Banasiak.

Quantum games of opinion formation based on the Marinatto-Weber quantum game scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Xinyang; Deng, Yong; Liu, Qi; Shi, Lei; Wang, Zhen

2016-06-01

Quantization has become a new way to investigate classical game theory since quantum strategies and quantum games were proposed. In the existing studies, many typical game models, such as the prisoner's dilemma, battle of the sexes, Hawk-Dove game, have been extensively explored by using quantization approach. Along a similar method, here several game models of opinion formations will be quantized on the basis of the Marinatto-Weber quantum game scheme, a frequently used scheme of converting classical games to quantum versions. Our results show that the quantization can fascinatingly change the properties of some classical opinion formation game models so as to generate win-win outcomes.

Quantum game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stohler, Michael Lehman

2002-01-01

Non-cooperative quantum games have received much attention recently. This thesis defines and divides current works into two major categories of gaming techniques with close attention paid to Nash equilibria, form and possibilities for the payoff functions, and the benefits of using a quantum strategy. In addition to comparing and contrasting these techniques, new applications and calculations are discussed. Finally, the techniques are expanded into 3 x 3 games which allows the study of non-transitive strategies in quantum games.

On Nash Equilibria in Stochastic Games

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-10-01

Traditionally automata theory and veri cation has considered zero sum or strictly competitive versions of stochastic games . In these games there are two players...zero- sum discrete-time stochastic dynamic games . SIAM J. Control and Optimization, 19(5):617{634, 1981. 18. R.J. Lipton, E . Markakis, and A. Mehta...Playing large games using simple strate- gies. In EC 03: Electronic Commerce, pages 36{41. ACM Press, 2003. 19. A. Maitra and W. Sudderth. Finitely

Using the Item Response Theory (IRT) for Educational Evaluation through Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euzébio Batista, Marcelo Henrique; Victória Barbosa, Jorge Luis; da Rosa Tavares, João Elison; Hackenhaar, Jonathan Luis

2013-01-01

This article shows the application of Item Response Theory (IRT) for educational evaluation using games. The article proposes a computational model to create user profiles, called Psychometric Profile Generator (PPG). PPG uses the IRT mathematical model for exploring the levels of skills and behaviors in the form of items and/or stimuli. The model…

Designing and Testing a Mathematics Card Game for Teaching and Learning Elementary Group Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galarza, Patrick

2017-01-01

This paper explores the viability and development of the first edition of the researcher's mathematical card game, Groups, as a learning tool for elementary group theory, a topic in abstract algebra. "Groups" was play-tested by six undergraduate students in late 2016 who provided feedback on "Groups" from both utility-centric…

Perspective of Game Theory in Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahrens, A.; Zascerinska, J.

2012-01-01

The sustainable development of society has attracted a lot of research efforts. A strategic aspect to the society's evolution is introduced by the game theory (Fernandez, 2011, p. 1). The research question is as follows: how to organize the process of teaching and learning in education for sustainable development? The aim of the research is to…

Cooperation or Competition: Does Game Theory Have Relevance for Public Health?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westhoff, Wayne W.; Cohen, Cynthia F.; Cooper, Elizabeth Elliott; Corvin, Jaime; McDermott, Robert J.

2012-01-01

In this paper, we use game theory to understand decisions to cooperate or to compete in the delivery of public health services. Health care is a quasi-public good that is often associated with altruistic behavior, yet it operates in an increasingly competitive environment. With mounting health care regulation and changes in privatization,…

Using Game Theory and Competition-Based Learning to Stimulate Student Motivation and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burguillo, Juan C.

2010-01-01

This paper introduces a framework for using Game Theory tournaments as a base to implement Competition-based Learning (CnBL), together with other classical learning techniques, to motivate the students and increase their learning performance. The paper also presents a description of the learning activities performed along the past ten years of a…

Epigenetic battle of the sexes. Comment on: ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Song

2017-03-01

Qian Wang et al. present an interesting framework, named epigenetic game theory, for modeling sex-based epigenetic dynamics during embryogenesis from a new viewpoint of evolutionary game theory [1]. That is, epigenomes of sperms and oocytes may coordinate through either cooperation or competition, or both, to affect the fitness of embryos. The work uses a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to describe longitudinal trajectories of DNA methylation levels in both parental and maternal gametes and their dependence on each other. The insights gained from this review, i.e. dynamic methylation profiles and their interaction are potentially important to many fields, such as biomedicine and agriculture.

An Energy-Efficient Game-Theory-Based Spectrum Decision Scheme for Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Salim, Shelly; Moh, Sangman

2016-01-01

A cognitive radio sensor network (CRSN) is a wireless sensor network in which sensor nodes are equipped with cognitive radio. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient game-theory-based spectrum decision (EGSD) scheme for CRSNs to prolong the network lifetime. Note that energy efficiency is the most important design consideration in CRSNs because it determines the network lifetime. The central part of the EGSD scheme consists of two spectrum selection algorithms: random selection and game-theory-based selection. The EGSD scheme also includes a clustering algorithm, spectrum characterization with a Markov chain, and cluster member coordination. Our performance study shows that EGSD outperforms the existing popular framework in terms of network lifetime and coordination overhead. PMID:27376290

A cellular automaton model for evacuation flow using game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Junbiao; Wang, Kaihua; Chen, Fangyue

2016-11-01

Game theory serves as a good tool to explore crowd dynamic conflicts during evacuation processes. The purpose of this study is to simulate the complicated interaction behavior among the conflicting pedestrians in an evacuation flow. Two types of pedestrians, namely, defectors and cooperators, are considered, and two important factors including fear index and cost coefficient are taken into account. By combining the snowdrift game theory with a cellular automaton (CA) model, it is shown that the increase of fear index and cost coefficient will lengthen the evacuation time, which is more apparent for large values of cost coefficient. Meanwhile, it is found that the defectors to cooperators ratio could always tend to consistent states despite different values of parameters, largely owing to self-organization effects.

An Energy-Efficient Game-Theory-Based Spectrum Decision Scheme for Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Salim, Shelly; Moh, Sangman

2016-06-30

A cognitive radio sensor network (CRSN) is a wireless sensor network in which sensor nodes are equipped with cognitive radio. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient game-theory-based spectrum decision (EGSD) scheme for CRSNs to prolong the network lifetime. Note that energy efficiency is the most important design consideration in CRSNs because it determines the network lifetime. The central part of the EGSD scheme consists of two spectrum selection algorithms: random selection and game-theory-based selection. The EGSD scheme also includes a clustering algorithm, spectrum characterization with a Markov chain, and cluster member coordination. Our performance study shows that EGSD outperforms the existing popular framework in terms of network lifetime and coordination overhead.

Designing Educational Software with Students through Collaborative Design Games: The We!Design&Play Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Triantafyllakos, George; Palaigeorgiou, George; Tsoukalas, Ioannis A.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present a framework for the development of collaborative design games that can be employed in participatory design sessions with students for the design of educational applications. The framework is inspired by idea generation theory and the design games literature, and guides the development of board games which, through the use…

The grey Shapley value: an axiomatization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekici, M.; Palanci, O.; Alparslan Gök, S. Z.

2018-01-01

This study focuses on an interesting class of cooperative games where the coalitional values are interval grey numbers. These cooper- ative games are called cooperative grey games. In this paper, we deal with an axiomatization of the grey Shapley value. We introduce the Banzhaf value and the egalitarian rule by using cooperative grey game theory. Finally, we conclude the paper with a conclusion.

Toward Theory Building in the Field of Instructional Games and Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruickshank, Donald R.; Mager, Gerald M.

1976-01-01

Three suggestions are made for improving on the present uncoordinated state of games and simulations: establish precise vocabulary, understand the relationships between simulation/gaming and other instructional alternatives, and instigate systematic research based on the descriptive--correlational--experimental loop model. (Author/LS)

Multiple Interacting Risk Factors: On Methods for Allocating Risk Factor Interactions.

PubMed

Price, Bertram; MacNicoll, Michael

2015-05-01

A persistent problem in health risk analysis where it is known that a disease may occur as a consequence of multiple risk factors with interactions is allocating the total risk of the disease among the individual risk factors. This problem, referred to here as risk apportionment, arises in various venues, including: (i) public health management, (ii) government programs for compensating injured individuals, and (iii) litigation. Two methods have been described in the risk analysis and epidemiology literature for allocating total risk among individual risk factors. One method uses weights to allocate interactions among the individual risk factors. The other method is based on risk accounting axioms and finding an optimal and unique allocation that satisfies the axioms using a procedure borrowed from game theory. Where relative risk or attributable risk is the risk measure, we find that the game-theory-determined allocation is the same as the allocation where risk factor interactions are apportioned to individual risk factors using equal weights. Therefore, the apportionment problem becomes one of selecting a meaningful set of weights for allocating interactions among the individual risk factors. Equal weights and weights proportional to the risks of the individual risk factors are discussed. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Economic game theory for mutualism and cooperation.

PubMed

Archetti, Marco; Scheuring, István; Hoffman, Moshe; Frederickson, Megan E; Pierce, Naomi E; Yu, Douglas W

2011-12-01

We review recent work at the interface of economic game theory and evolutionary biology that provides new insights into the evolution of partner choice, host sanctions, partner fidelity feedback and public goods. (1) The theory of games with asymmetrical information shows that the right incentives allow hosts to screen-out parasites and screen-in mutualists, explaining successful partner choice in the absence of signalling. Applications range from ant-plants to microbiomes. (2) Contract theory distinguishes two longstanding but weakly differentiated explanations of host response to defectors: host sanctions and partner fidelity feedback. Host traits that selectively punish misbehaving symbionts are parsimoniously interpreted as pre-adaptations. Yucca-moth and legume-rhizobia mutualisms are argued to be examples of partner fidelity feedback. (3) The theory of public goods shows that cooperation in multi-player interactions can evolve in the absence of assortment, in one-shot social dilemmas among non-kin. Applications include alarm calls in vertebrates and exoenzymes in microbes. 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

On entropy, financial markets and minority games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zapart, Christopher A.

2009-04-01

The paper builds upon an earlier statistical analysis of financial time series with Shannon information entropy, published in [L. Molgedey, W. Ebeling, Local order, entropy and predictability of financial time series, European Physical Journal B-Condensed Matter and Complex Systems 15/4 (2000) 733-737]. A novel generic procedure is proposed for making multistep-ahead predictions of time series by building a statistical model of entropy. The approach is first demonstrated on the chaotic Mackey-Glass time series and later applied to Japanese Yen/US dollar intraday currency data. The paper also reinterprets Minority Games [E. Moro, The minority game: An introductory guide, Advances in Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics (2004)] within the context of physical entropy, and uses models derived from minority game theory as a tool for measuring the entropy of a model in response to time series. This entropy conditional upon a model is subsequently used in place of information-theoretic entropy in the proposed multistep prediction algorithm.

The development of a multi-dimensional gambling accessibility scale.

PubMed

Hing, Nerilee; Haw, John

2009-12-01

The aim of the current study was to develop a scale of gambling accessibility that would have theoretical significance to exposure theory and also serve to highlight the accessibility risk factors for problem gambling. Scale items were generated from the Productivity Commission's (Australia's Gambling Industries: Report No. 10. AusInfo, Canberra, 1999) recommendations and tested on a group with high exposure to the gambling environment. In total, 533 gaming venue employees (aged 18-70 years; 67% women) completed a questionnaire that included six 13-item scales measuring accessibility across a range of gambling forms (gaming machines, keno, casino table games, lotteries, horse and dog racing, sports betting). Also included in the questionnaire was the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) along with measures of gambling frequency and expenditure. Principal components analysis indicated that a common three factor structure existed across all forms of gambling and these were labelled social accessibility, physical accessibility and cognitive accessibility. However, convergent validity was not demonstrated with inconsistent correlations between each subscale and measures of gambling behaviour. These results are discussed in light of exposure theory and the further development of a multi-dimensional measure of gambling accessibility.

Game Theory for Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey

PubMed Central

Shi, Hai-Yan; Wang, Wan-Liang; Kwok, Ngai-Ming; Chen, Sheng-Yong

2012-01-01

Game theory (GT) is a mathematical method that describes the phenomenon of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers. In particular, the theory has been proven very useful in the design of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This article surveys the recent developments and findings of GT, its applications in WSNs, and provides the community a general view of this vibrant research area. We first introduce the typical formulation of GT in the WSN application domain. The roles of GT are described that include routing protocol design, topology control, power control and energy saving, packet forwarding, data collection, spectrum allocation, bandwidth allocation, quality of service control, coverage optimization, WSN security, and other sensor management tasks. Then, three variations of game theory are described, namely, the cooperative, non-cooperative, and repeated schemes. Finally, existing problems and future trends are identified for researchers and engineers in the field. PMID:23012533

Implementation of Potential of the Transdisciplinary Approaches in Economic Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stepanova, Tatiana E.; Manokhina, Nadeghda V.; Konovalova, Maria E.; Kuzmina, Olga Y.; Andryukhina, Lyudmila M.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the researched problem is caused by the increasing interest in using potential of transdisciplinary approaches, and mathematical methods, which include the game theory in analysis of public and economic processes. The aim of the article is studying a possibility of implementation of the transdisciplinary approaches in economic…

How trees allocate carbon for optimal growth: insight from a game-theoretic model.

PubMed

Fu, Liyong; Sun, Lidan; Han, Hao; Jiang, Libo; Zhu, Sheng; Ye, Meixia; Tang, Shouzheng; Huang, Minren; Wu, Rongling

2017-02-01

How trees allocate photosynthetic products to primary height growth and secondary radial growth reflects their capacity to best use environmental resources. Despite substantial efforts to explore tree height-diameter relationship empirically and through theoretical modeling, our understanding of the biological mechanisms that govern this phenomenon is still limited. By thinking of stem woody biomass production as an ecological system of apical and lateral growth components, we implement game theory to model and discern how these two components cooperate symbiotically with each other or compete for resources to determine the size of a tree stem. This resulting allometry game theory is further embedded within a genetic mapping and association paradigm, allowing the genetic loci mediating the carbon allocation of stemwood growth to be characterized and mapped throughout the genome. Allometry game theory was validated by analyzing a mapping data of stem height and diameter growth over perennial seasons in a poplar tree. Several key quantitative trait loci were found to interpret the process and pattern of stemwood growth through regulating the ecological interactions of stem apical and lateral growth. The application of allometry game theory enables the prediction of the situations in which the cooperation, competition or altruism is an optimal decision of a tree to fully use the environmental resources it owns. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

What Eye Movements Can Tell about Theory of Mind in a Strategic Game

PubMed Central

Meijering, Ben; van Rijn, Hedderik; Taatgen, Niels A.; Verbrugge, Rineke

2012-01-01

This study investigates strategies in reasoning about mental states of others, a process that requires theory of mind. It is a first step in studying the cognitive basis of such reasoning, as strategies affect tradeoffs between cognitive resources. Participants were presented with a two-player game that required reasoning about the mental states of the opponent. Game theory literature discerns two candidate strategies that participants could use in this game: either forward reasoning or backward reasoning. Forward reasoning proceeds from the first decision point to the last, whereas backward reasoning proceeds in the opposite direction. Backward reasoning is the only optimal strategy, because the optimal outcome is known at each decision point. Nevertheless, we argue that participants prefer forward reasoning because it is similar to causal reasoning. Causal reasoning, in turn, is prevalent in human reasoning. Eye movements were measured to discern between forward and backward progressions of fixations. The observed fixation sequences corresponded best with forward reasoning. Early in games, the probability of observing a forward progression of fixations is higher than the probability of observing a backward progression. Later in games, the probabilities of forward and backward progressions are similar, which seems to imply that participants were either applying backward reasoning or jumping back to previous decision points while applying forward reasoning. Thus, the game-theoretical favorite strategy, backward reasoning, does seem to exist in human reasoning. However, participants preferred the more familiar, practiced, and prevalent strategy: forward reasoning. PMID:23029341

Children's strategic theory of mind.

PubMed

Sher, Itai; Koenig, Melissa; Rustichini, Aldo

2014-09-16

Human strategic interaction requires reasoning about other people's behavior and mental states, combined with an understanding of their incentives. However, the ontogenic development of strategic reasoning is not well understood: At what age do we show a capacity for sophisticated play in social interactions? Several lines of inquiry suggest an important role for recursive thinking (RT) and theory of mind (ToM), but these capacities leave out the strategic element. We posit a strategic theory of mind (SToM) integrating ToM and RT with reasoning about incentives of all players. We investigated SToM in 3- to 9-y-old children and adults in two games that represent prevalent aspects of social interaction. Children anticipate deceptive and competitive moves from the other player and play both games in a strategically sophisticated manner by 7 y of age. One game has a pure strategy Nash equilibrium: In this game, children achieve equilibrium play by the age of 7 y on the first move. In the other game, with a single mixed-strategy equilibrium, children's behavior moved toward the equilibrium with experience. These two results also correspond to two ways in which children's behavior resembles adult behavior in the same games. In both games, children's behavior becomes more strategically sophisticated with age on the first move. Beyond the age of 7 y, children begin to think about strategic interaction not myopically, but in a farsighted way, possibly with a view to cooperating and capitalizing on mutual gains in long-run relationships.

What eye movements can tell about theory of mind in a strategic game.

PubMed

Meijering, Ben; van Rijn, Hedderik; Taatgen, Niels A; Verbrugge, Rineke

2012-01-01

This study investigates strategies in reasoning about mental states of others, a process that requires theory of mind. It is a first step in studying the cognitive basis of such reasoning, as strategies affect tradeoffs between cognitive resources. Participants were presented with a two-player game that required reasoning about the mental states of the opponent. Game theory literature discerns two candidate strategies that participants could use in this game: either forward reasoning or backward reasoning. Forward reasoning proceeds from the first decision point to the last, whereas backward reasoning proceeds in the opposite direction. Backward reasoning is the only optimal strategy, because the optimal outcome is known at each decision point. Nevertheless, we argue that participants prefer forward reasoning because it is similar to causal reasoning. Causal reasoning, in turn, is prevalent in human reasoning. Eye movements were measured to discern between forward and backward progressions of fixations. The observed fixation sequences corresponded best with forward reasoning. Early in games, the probability of observing a forward progression of fixations is higher than the probability of observing a backward progression. Later in games, the probabilities of forward and backward progressions are similar, which seems to imply that participants were either applying backward reasoning or jumping back to previous decision points while applying forward reasoning. Thus, the game-theoretical favorite strategy, backward reasoning, does seem to exist in human reasoning. However, participants preferred the more familiar, practiced, and prevalent strategy: forward reasoning.

Children’s strategic theory of mind

PubMed Central

Sher, Itai; Koenig, Melissa; Rustichini, Aldo

2014-01-01

Human strategic interaction requires reasoning about other people’s behavior and mental states, combined with an understanding of their incentives. However, the ontogenic development of strategic reasoning is not well understood: At what age do we show a capacity for sophisticated play in social interactions? Several lines of inquiry suggest an important role for recursive thinking (RT) and theory of mind (ToM), but these capacities leave out the strategic element. We posit a strategic theory of mind (SToM) integrating ToM and RT with reasoning about incentives of all players. We investigated SToM in 3- to 9-y-old children and adults in two games that represent prevalent aspects of social interaction. Children anticipate deceptive and competitive moves from the other player and play both games in a strategically sophisticated manner by 7 y of age. One game has a pure strategy Nash equilibrium: In this game, children achieve equilibrium play by the age of 7 y on the first move. In the other game, with a single mixed-strategy equilibrium, children’s behavior moved toward the equilibrium with experience. These two results also correspond to two ways in which children’s behavior resembles adult behavior in the same games. In both games, children’s behavior becomes more strategically sophisticated with age on the first move. Beyond the age of 7 y, children begin to think about strategic interaction not myopically, but in a farsighted way, possibly with a view to cooperating and capitalizing on mutual gains in long-run relationships. PMID:25197065

Theory of mind and the Ultimatum Game in healthy adult aging.

PubMed

Girardi, Alessandra; Sala, Sergio Della; MacPherson, Sarah E

2018-01-01

The Ultimatum Game assesses decision-making involved in cooperative interactions with others. However, little is known about the role that the ability to understand other people's intentions plays in these interactions. This study examined performance on the Ultimatum Game and theory of mind (ToM) tasks in younger and older adults. Age differences were not found on the ToM tasks, and a lack of variability in performance prevented analyses of the relationships between performance on the Ultimatum Game and ToM. However, age differences were found on the Ultimatum Game, with older adults accepting more unfair offers. Yet, the two age groups did not differ in their appreciation of fairness, as assessed using subjective fairness ratings. These findings suggest that older adults are more rational in their behavior, accepting unfair offers even when they know they are unfair, as it is in their self-interest to accept small monetary values rather than nothing at all.

Education as Simulation Game: A Critical Hermeneutic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palermo, James

1979-01-01

This paper examines a specific educational game called "Popcorn Factory." First, it gives a detailed description of the game, then shifts the description into a critical hermeneutical framework, analyzing the deep structures at work in the "Popcorn Factory" according to the theories of Freud and Marcuse. (Author/SJL)

Just a fad? Gamification in health and fitness apps.

PubMed

Lister, Cameron; West, Joshua H; Cannon, Ben; Sax, Tyler; Brodegard, David

2014-08-04

Gamification has been a predominant focus of the health app industry in recent years. However, to our knowledge, there has yet to be a review of gamification elements in relation to health behavior constructs, or insight into the true proliferation of gamification in health apps. The objective of this study was to identify the extent to which gamification is used in health apps, and analyze gamification of health and fitness apps as a potential component of influence on a consumer's health behavior. An analysis of health and fitness apps related to physical activity and diet was conducted among apps in the Apple App Store in the winter of 2014. This analysis reviewed a sample of 132 apps for the 10 effective game elements, the 6 core components of health gamification, and 13 core health behavior constructs. A regression analysis was conducted in order to measure the correlation between health behavior constructs, gamification components, and effective game elements. This review of the most popular apps showed widespread use of gamification principles, but low adherence to any professional guidelines or industry standard. Regression analysis showed that game elements were associated with gamification (P<.001). Behavioral theory was associated with gamification (P<.05), but not game elements, and upon further analysis gamification was only associated with composite motivational behavior scores (P<.001), and not capacity or opportunity/trigger. This research, to our knowledge, represents the first comprehensive review of gamification use in health and fitness apps, and the potential to impact health behavior. The results show that use of gamification in health and fitness apps has become immensely popular, as evidenced by the number of apps found in the Apple App Store containing at least some components of gamification. This shows a lack of integrating important elements of behavioral theory from the app industry, which can potentially impact the efficacy of gamification apps to change behavior. Apps represent a very promising, burgeoning market and landscape in which to disseminate health behavior change interventions. Initial results show an abundant use of gamification in health and fitness apps, which necessitates the in-depth study and evaluation of the potential of gamification to change health behaviors.

The Study on the Effect of Educational Games for the Development of Students’ Logic-Mathematics of Multiple Intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; Ma, Sujuan; Ma, Linqing

Firstly, in this article, we expound the theory of the educational games and multiple intelligence and analyze the relationship between them. Then, further, we elaborate educational games' effect on the development of students' multiple intelligence, taking logic-mathematics intelligence for example. Also, we discuss the strategies of using educational games to improve students' intelligence. In a word, we can use the computer games to develop the students' multi-intelligence.

The challenge of audience reception: a developmental model for educational game engagement.

PubMed

Sherry, John L

2013-01-01

According to educational gaming advocates, the engaging nature of games encourages sustained game play and enhanced attention to learning outcomes among players. Because children's and adolescents' play time varies by game genre, engagement with a game likely reflects the match between the genre and the player's preferences and needs. Youth learn which games are likely to promote satisfying psychological needs and yield positive experiences, which then informs their engagement with the games. A model is presented for research and development of educational games based on uses and gratifications theory from communication science, as well as developmental science and cognitive science findings. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

How mutation affects evolutionary games on graphs

PubMed Central

Allen, Benjamin; Traulsen, Arne; Tarnita, Corina E.; Nowak, Martin A.

2011-01-01

Evolutionary dynamics are affected by population structure, mutation rates and update rules. Spatial or network structure facilitates the clustering of strategies, which represents a mechanism for the evolution of cooperation. Mutation dilutes this effect. Here we analyze how mutation influences evolutionary clustering on graphs. We introduce new mathematical methods to evolutionary game theory, specifically the analysis of coalescing random walks via generating functions. These techniques allow us to derive exact identity-by-descent (IBD) probabilities, which characterize spatial assortment on lattices and Cayley trees. From these IBD probabilities we obtain exact conditions for the evolution of cooperation and other game strategies, showing the dual effects of graph topology and mutation rate. High mutation rates diminish the clustering of cooperators, hindering their evolutionary success. Our model can represent either genetic evolution with mutation, or social imitation processes with random strategy exploration. PMID:21473871

Finding the Middle Ground in Violent Video Game Research: Lessons From Ferguson (2015).

PubMed

Markey, Patrick M

2015-09-01

Ferguson's comprehensive meta-analysis provides convincing data that violent video games have almost no effect on children's aggression. Although this finding is unlikely to bring unity to a divided field, Ferguson's article (2015, this issue) provides important rules that should aid all researchers. First, we need to be more accepting of results that are inconsistent with our own theories. Second, extraneous variables are often responsible for the relations previous studies have found between violent media and aggression. Third, we should avoid using unstandardized assessments of important variables whenever possible. Finally, caution is warranted when generalizing laboratory research findings to severe acts of violent in the "real world." It is hoped that, by accepting these basic rules, researchers and others will adopt less extreme positions concerning the effects of violent video games. © The Author(s) 2015.

Ball game watching theory in the teaching site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shugang; Li, Xiufang; Chuang, Chin-Jung

2017-08-01

Lecturing is a common approach in the traditional teaching site. In this paper, we bring a modern model "ball game watching theory" to explain the situation in the classroom. The reason why the audiences going to the court is to enjoy the atmosphere, and it is also the reason why student joining to the class. A successful class running is to create studious atmosphere. However, once the teacher does the demo in the class, the multimedia tool must be used to show the details, as the big display working in the court. The key moment is recorded and the details are magnified. when teaching aids are demonstrated, the multimedia tool plays an important role. The attention of students walks between the teacher and the display. In this ball game watching theory, the demonstrate experience is like the ball game, and the teacher works as an anchor. By following the demonstration proceeding, students build the knowledge by themselves. In addition, the demonstration must be designed to be interesting in order to make the class proceed fluently. The similarity between the ball game watching and the class will be discussed. Finally we suggest a modern class design which can raise learner motivation and achievement.

Chess Revision: Acquiring the Rules of Chess Variants through FOL Theory Revision from Examples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muggleton, Stephen; Paes, Aline; Santos Costa, Vítor; Zaverucha, Gerson

The game of chess has been a major testbed for research in artificial intelligence, since it requires focus on intelligent reasoning. Particularly, several challenges arise to machine learning systems when inducing a model describing legal moves of the chess, including the collection of the examples, the learning of a model correctly representing the official rules of the game, covering all the branches and restrictions of the correct moves, and the comprehensibility of such a model. Besides, the game of chess has inspired the creation of numerous variants, ranging from faster to more challenging or to regional versions of the game. The question arises if it is possible to take advantage of an initial classifier of chess as a starting point to obtain classifiers for the different variants. We approach this problem as an instance of theory revision from examples. The initial classifier of chess is inspired by a FOL theory approved by a chess expert and the examples are defined as sequences of moves within a game. Starting from a standard revision system, we argue that abduction and negation are also required to best address this problem. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our approach.

Bacteria and game theory: the rise and fall of cooperation in spatially heterogeneous environments.

PubMed

Lambert, Guillaume; Vyawahare, Saurabh; Austin, Robert H

2014-08-06

One of the predictions of game theory is that cooperative behaviours are vulnerable to exploitation by selfish individuals, but this result seemingly contradicts the survival of cooperation observed in nature. In this review, we will introduce game theoretical concepts that lead to this conclusion and show how the spatial competition dynamics between microorganisms can be used to model the survival and maintenance of cooperation. In particular, we focus on how Escherichia coli bacteria with a growth advantage in stationary phase (GASP) phenotype maintain a proliferative phenotype when faced with overcrowding to gain a fitness advantage over wild-type populations. We review recent experimental approaches studying the growth dynamics of competing GASP and wild-type strains of E. coli inside interconnected microfabricated habitats and use a game theoretical approach to analyse the observed inter-species interactions. We describe how the use of evolutionary game theory and the ideal free distribution accurately models the spatial distribution of cooperative and selfish individuals in spatially heterogeneous environments. Using bacteria as a model system of cooperative and selfish behaviours may lead to a better understanding of the competition dynamics of other organisms-including tumour-host interactions during cancer development and metastasis.

Players' expertise and competition with others shape the satisfaction of competence needs, gaming gratifications, and contingent self-esteem in a gaming context.

PubMed

Kazakova, Snezhanka; Cauberghe, Veroline; Pandelaere, Mario; De Pelsmacker, Patrick

2014-01-01

The current study explores how competition and gaming expertise affect the satisfaction of competence needs and gaming gratifications. We demonstrate that competition moderates the effect of gaming expertise on the satisfaction of competence needs, which in turn affects game enjoyment and replay intention. Gaming expertise predicted players' need satisfaction, game enjoyment, and replay intention significantly better in a competitive compared to a noncompetitive context. The effect of gaming expertise on game enjoyment and replay intention was, furthermore, mediated by the satisfaction of competence needs. Finally, gaming expertise positively affected the importance of competition for players' self-esteem only in the competitive gaming context. The present findings demonstrate the importance of competition and gaming expertise for the satisfaction of competence needs, gaming gratifications, and the pursuit of self-esteem during gameplay, attesting to the applicability of self-determination theory to gaming contexts.

The Impact of Involvement on Performance in Business Simulations: An Examination of Goosen's "Know Little" Decision-Making Thesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfe, Joseph; Luethge, Denise J.

2003-01-01

Some game users have contended that students can be successful in games even if they "know little" about the rules and the underlying business theories driving them. Thus, if teams are uninvolved, it is possible that successful game play may not impart the learning typically found in experiential exercises nor that designed into games by their…

Prisoner's Dilemma Applied and in the Classroom: The TV Game Show "Friend or Foe"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coe, Paul R.; Alonzi, Loreto Peter; Condon, Daniel; Butterworth, William T.

2007-01-01

Prisoner's Dilemma is a common game theory scenario in which two players must choose between acting cooperatively or out of pure self-interest. What a player decides affects not only his own outcome but also that of the other player. "Friend or Foe," a TV game show that has appeared on the cable Game Show Network (GSN), places pairs of contestants…

Investigating Students' Perceived Discipline Relevance Subsequent to Playing Educational Computer Games: A Personal Interest and Self-Determination Theory Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorebo, Oystein; Haehre, Reidar

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explain students' perceived relevance of playing an educational game as a means for development of discipline competence. Based on self-determination theory and the concept of personal interest, we propose that: Satisfying students' basic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness when playing educational games…

Topography of Power Relations in Slovak Preschool Sector Based on Bourdieu's Field Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kašcák, Ondrej; Pupala, Branislav

2017-01-01

The article analyses the Slovak preschool education sector using Bourdieu's field theory. It describes stable and volatile points in the evolution of preschool education in terms of the power games occurring within the specific social field of power relations shaped during these games. It explores the groups of powerful players that represent the…

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand the Beliefs of Chinese Teachers Concerning Teaching Games for Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Lijuan

2013-01-01

This study describes the beliefs of Physical Education (PE) teachers regarding Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Twenty PE teachers participated in this study. Data collection consisted of a survey on demographic data and semistructured interviews. The research results indicate that the teachers…

Pokémon Battles as a Context for Mathematical Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuffey, William

2017-01-01

In this article I explore some of the underlying mathematics of Poke´mon battles and describe ways that teachers at the secondary level could explore concepts of mathematical game theory in this context. I discuss various ways of representing and analyzing a Poke´mon battle using game theory and conclude with an example of applying concepts of…

Imitation dynamics of vaccine decision-making behaviours based on the game theory.

PubMed

Yang, Junyuan; Martcheva, Maia; Chen, Yuming

2016-01-01

Based on game theory, we propose an age-structured model to investigate the imitation dynamics of vaccine uptake. We first obtain the existence and local stability of equilibria. We show that Hopf bifurcation can occur. We also establish the global stability of the boundary equilibria and persistence of the disease. The theoretical results are supported by numerical simulations.

Making Games Not Work: Paradoxes Embedded in Game-Based Training and Concepts for Overcoming Them

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Phillip N.; Cuper, Taryn

2010-01-01

An interest in game-based training solutions is natural. All one has to do is watch someone fully engaged in a modern game to see the potential of harnessing that attention for training. However, the reality of game-based training has not fully satisfied these expectations. This paper explains two paradoxes that must be overcome for games to support training. These paradoxes are a result of the realities of the basic human condition clashing with the requirements of learning theory. 80th paradoxes arise from the concept of "engagement" that is central to games. The first comes from a more robust definition of engagement, which is the condition of Flow or Optimal Experience. Flow is the state game developers want to see in users. One aspect of Flow is loss of sense of self as the individual becomes immersed in the experience. The paradox arises because this loss of self directly contradicts the learning requirement of self-reflection. The second paradox comes from theories of play, which state in part that play requires a level of individual freedom. The contradiction arises when game-based play must be harnessed to an organizational training program or regimen. The paper will discuss these paradoxes in the context of an effort to design a game-based training modality to train combat medics and will close with a review of compensating strategies identified by the designers. The paper will provide information important to anyone interested in conceptualizing and designing game-based training.

An Exploratory Review of Design Principles in Constructivist Gaming Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosario, Roberto A. Munoz; Widmeyer, George R.

2009-01-01

Creating a design theory for Constructivist Gaming Learning Environment necessitates, among other things, the establishment of design principles. These principles have the potential to help designers produce games, where users achieve higher levels of learning. This paper focuses on twelve design principles: Probing, Distributed, Multiple Routes,…

Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships through Co-Playing Video Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheffield, Anneliese; Lin, Lin

2013-01-01

Parent-child relationships may be strengthened when parents and children play video games together. Literature is limited in addressing the impact of co-playing video games on parent-child relationships. Family systems theory, in particular, parental mediation through co-play, may provide insights into parent-child relationships. Parents who…

Humour in Game-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dormann, Claire; Biddle, Robert

2006-01-01

This paper focuses on the benefits and utilisation of humour in digital game-based learning. Through the activity theory framework, we emphasise the role of humour as a mediating tool which helps resolve contradictions within the activity system from conjoining educational objectives within the computer game. We then discuss the role of humour…

Terminological Ambiguity: Game and Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klabbers, Jan H. G.

2009-01-01

Since its introduction in academia and professional practice during the 1950s, gaming has been linked to simulation. Although both fields have a few important characteristics in common, they are distinct in their form and underlying theories of knowledge and methodology. Nevertheless, in the literature, hybrid terms such as "gaming/simulation" and…

Linking Serious Game Narratives with Pedagogical Theories and Pedagogical Design Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Troyer, Olga; Van Broeckhoven, Frederik; Vlieghe, Joachim

2017-01-01

Narrative-based serious games present pedagogical content and interventions through an interactive narrative. To ensure effective learning in such kind of serious games, designers are not only faced with the challenge of creating a compelling narrative, but also with the additional challenge of incorporating suitable pedagogical strategies.…

Gaming the Classroom Viewing Learning through the Lens Self Determination Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szymanski, Antonia; Benus, Matthew

2015-01-01

Educators, designers and curriculum creators are interested in developing educational experiences that replicate the fun aspect of video games to increase student intrinsic motivation. This aspect, which compels players to engage with the game and persist despite failing, has the potential to increase student academic success. Researchers used…

An Efficient Soft Set-Based Approach for Conflict Analysis

PubMed Central

Sutoyo, Edi; Mungad, Mungad; Hamid, Suraya; Herawan, Tutut

2016-01-01

Conflict analysis has been used as an important tool in economic, business, governmental and political dispute, games, management negotiations, military operations and etc. There are many mathematical formal models have been proposed to handle conflict situations and one of the most popular is rough set theory. With the ability to handle vagueness from the conflict data set, rough set theory has been successfully used. However, computational time is still an issue when determining the certainty, coverage, and strength of conflict situations. In this paper, we present an alternative approach to handle conflict situations, based on some ideas using soft set theory. The novelty of the proposed approach is that, unlike in rough set theory that uses decision rules, it is based on the concept of co-occurrence of parameters in soft set theory. We illustrate the proposed approach by means of a tutorial example of voting analysis in conflict situations. Furthermore, we elaborate the proposed approach on real world dataset of political conflict in Indonesian Parliament. We show that, the proposed approach achieves lower computational time as compared to rough set theory of up to 3.9%. PMID:26928627

An Efficient Soft Set-Based Approach for Conflict Analysis.

PubMed

Sutoyo, Edi; Mungad, Mungad; Hamid, Suraya; Herawan, Tutut

2016-01-01

Conflict analysis has been used as an important tool in economic, business, governmental and political dispute, games, management negotiations, military operations and etc. There are many mathematical formal models have been proposed to handle conflict situations and one of the most popular is rough set theory. With the ability to handle vagueness from the conflict data set, rough set theory has been successfully used. However, computational time is still an issue when determining the certainty, coverage, and strength of conflict situations. In this paper, we present an alternative approach to handle conflict situations, based on some ideas using soft set theory. The novelty of the proposed approach is that, unlike in rough set theory that uses decision rules, it is based on the concept of co-occurrence of parameters in soft set theory. We illustrate the proposed approach by means of a tutorial example of voting analysis in conflict situations. Furthermore, we elaborate the proposed approach on real world dataset of political conflict in Indonesian Parliament. We show that, the proposed approach achieves lower computational time as compared to rough set theory of up to 3.9%.

Time series analysis for minority game simulations of financial markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Fernando F.; Francisco, Gerson; Machado, Birajara S.; Muruganandam, Paulsamy

2003-04-01

The minority game (MG) model introduced recently provides promising insights into the understanding of the evolution of prices, indices and rates in the financial markets. In this paper we perform a time series analysis of the model employing tools from statistics, dynamical systems theory and stochastic processes. Using benchmark systems and a financial index for comparison, several conclusions are obtained about the generating mechanism for this kind of evolution. The motion is deterministic, driven by occasional random external perturbation. When the interval between two successive perturbations is sufficiently large, one can find low dimensional chaos in this regime. However, the full motion of the MG model is found to be similar to that of the first differences of the SP500 index: stochastic, nonlinear and (unit root) stationary.

Integrating evolutionary game theory into an agent-based model of ductal carcinoma in situ: Role of gap junctions in cancer progression.

PubMed

Malekian, Negin; Habibi, Jafar; Zangooei, Mohammad Hossein; Aghakhani, Hojjat

2016-11-01

There are many cells with various phenotypic behaviors in cancer interacting with each other. For example, an apoptotic cell may induce apoptosis in adjacent cells. A living cell can also protect cells from undergoing apoptosis and necrosis. These survival and death signals are propagated through interaction pathways between adjacent cells called gap junctions. The function of these signals depends on the cellular context of the cell receiving them. For instance, a receiver cell experiencing a low level of oxygen may interpret a received survival signal as an apoptosis signal. In this study, we examine the effect of these signals on tumor growth. We make an evolutionary game theory component in order to model the signal propagation through gap junctions. The game payoffs are defined as a function of cellular context. Then, the game theory component is integrated into an agent-based model of tumor growth. After that, the integrated model is applied to ductal carcinoma in situ, a type of early stage breast cancer. Different scenarios are explored to observe the impact of the gap junction communication and parameters of the game theory component on cancer progression. We compare these scenarios by using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test succeeds in proving a significant difference between the tumor growth of the model before and after considering the gap junction communication. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test also proves that the tumor growth significantly depends on the oxygen threshold of turning survival signals into apoptosis. In this study, the gap junction communication is modeled by using evolutionary game theory to illustrate its role at early stage cancers such as ductal carcinoma in situ. This work indicates that the gap junction communication and the oxygen threshold of turning survival signals into apoptosis can notably affect cancer progression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential-Game Examination of Optimal Time-Sequential Fire-Support Strategies

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-09-01

77 004033 NPS-55Tw76091 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL 4Monterey, California i ’ DIFFERENTIAL- GAME EXAMINATION OF OPTIMAL TIME-SEQUENTIAL FIRE...CATALOG NUMBER NPS-55Tw76091 4. TITLE (and Subtitle) S. TYPE OF REPDRT & PERIOD COVERED Differential- Game Examination of Optimal Tir Technical Report...NOTES 19. KEY WORDS (Continue on reverse side If necessary and identify by block number) Differential Games Lanchester Theory of Combat Military Tactics

Online Games as a Component of School Textbooks: A Test Predicting the Diffusion of Interactive Online Games Designed for the Textbook Reformation in South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Do Kyun; Dinu, Lucian F.; Chung, Wonjon

2013-01-01

Currently, the South Korean government is in the process of transforming school textbooks from a paper-based platform to a computer-based digital platform. Along with this effort, interactive online educational games (edu-games) have been examined as a potential component of the digital textbooks. Based on the theory of diffusion of innovations,…

Game-Based Learning in Science Education: A Review of Relevant Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ming-Chaun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-12-01

The purpose of this study is to review empirical research articles regarding game-based science learning (GBSL) published from 2000 to 2011. Thirty-one articles were identified through the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. A qualitative content analysis technique was adopted to analyze the research purposes and designs, game design and implementation, theoretical backgrounds and learning foci of these reviewed studies. The theories and models employed by these studies were classified into four theoretical foundations including cognitivism, constructivism, the socio-cultural perspective, and enactivism. The results indicate that cognitivism and constructivism were the major theoretical foundations employed by the GBSL researchers and that the socio-cultural perspective and enactivism are two emerging theoretical paradigms that have started to draw attention from GBSL researchers in recent years. The analysis of the learning foci showed that most of the digital games were utilized to promote scientific knowledge/concept learning, while less than one-third were implemented to facilitate the students' problem-solving skills. Only a few studies explored the GBSL outcomes from the aspects of scientific processes, affect, engagement, and socio-contextual learning. Suggestions are made to extend the current GBSL research to address the affective and socio-contextual aspects of science learning. The roles of digital games as tutor, tool, and tutee for science education are discussed, while the potentials of digital games to bridge science learning between real and virtual worlds, to promote collaborative problem-solving, to provide affective learning environments, and to facilitate science learning for younger students are also addressed.

Neural contributions to flow experience during video game playing.

PubMed

Klasen, Martin; Weber, René; Kircher, Tilo T J; Mathiak, Krystyna A; Mathiak, Klaus

2012-04-01

Video games are an exciting part of new media. Although game play has been intensively studied, the underlying neurobiology is still poorly understood. Flow theory is a well-established model developed to describe subjective game experience. In 13 healthy male subjects, we acquired fMRI data during free play of a video game and analyzed brain activity based on the game content. In accordance with flow theory, we extracted the following factors from the game content: (i) balance between ability and challenge; (ii) concentration and focus; (iii) direct feedback of action results; (iv) clear goals; and (v) control over the situation/activity. We suggest that flow is characterized by specific neural activation patterns and that the latter can be assessed-at least partially-by content factors contributing to the emergence of flow. Each of the content factors was characterized by specific and distinguishable brain activation patterns, encompassing reward-related midbrain structures, as well as cognitive and sensorimotor networks. The activation of sensory and motor networks in the conjunction analyses underpinned the central role of simulation for flow experience. Flow factors can be validated with functional brain imaging which can improve the understanding of human emotions and motivational processes during media entertainment.

Neural contributions to flow experience during video game playing

PubMed Central

Weber, René; Kircher, Tilo T. J.; Mathiak, Krystyna A.; Mathiak, Klaus

2012-01-01

Video games are an exciting part of new media. Although game play has been intensively studied, the underlying neurobiology is still poorly understood. Flow theory is a well-established model developed to describe subjective game experience. In 13 healthy male subjects, we acquired fMRI data during free play of a video game and analyzed brain activity based on the game content. In accordance with flow theory, we extracted the following factors from the game content: (i) balance between ability and challenge; (ii) concentration and focus; (iii) direct feedback of action results; (iv) clear goals; and (v) control over the situation/activity. We suggest that flow is characterized by specific neural activation patterns and that the latter can be assessed—at least partially—by content factors contributing to the emergence of flow. Each of the content factors was characterized by specific and distinguishable brain activation patterns, encompassing reward-related midbrain structures, as well as cognitive and sensorimotor networks. The activation of sensory and motor networks in the conjunction analyses underpinned the central role of simulation for flow experience. Flow factors can be validated with functional brain imaging which can improve the understanding of human emotions and motivational processes during media entertainment. PMID:21596764

Combinatorial structures to modeling simple games and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molinero, Xavier

2017-09-01

We connect three different topics: combinatorial structures, game theory and chemistry. In particular, we establish the bases to represent some simple games, defined as influence games, and molecules, defined from atoms, by using combinatorial structures. First, we characterize simple games as influence games using influence graphs. It let us to modeling simple games as combinatorial structures (from the viewpoint of structures or graphs). Second, we formally define molecules as combinations of atoms. It let us to modeling molecules as combinatorial structures (from the viewpoint of combinations). It is open to generate such combinatorial structures using some specific techniques as genetic algorithms, (meta-)heuristics algorithms and parallel programming, among others.

Focusing on Presentation Instead of Representation: Perspectives on Representational and Non-Representational Language-Games for Educational History and Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fendler, Lynn; Smeyers, Paul

2015-01-01

Debates in science seem to depend on referential language-games, but in other senses they do not. This article addresses non-representational theory. It is a branch of newer approaches to cultural geography that strive to get a handle on spatial relationships not by representing them, but rather by presenting them. In this case, present connotes…

The commodification process of extreme sports: the diffusion of the X-Games by ESPN

Treesearch

Chang Huh; Byoung Kwan Lee; Euidong Yoo

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the commodification process of extreme sports. Specifically, this study is to investigate how X-Games as a sport event has been spread among the teenagers by ESPN in order to use extreme sports commercially. The diffusion theory was utilized as a theoretical framework to explain this process because the diffusion theory is a...

Beyond the Player: A User-Centered Approach to Analyzing Digital Games and Players Using Actor-Network Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Aaron Chia Yuan

2016-01-01

The paper uses actor-network theory (ANT) to analyze the sociotechnical networks of three groups of adolescents who played online games in different physical and social contexts. These include: an internet café, which allowed the players to be co-present; a personal laptop, which gave the player more control over how he played; and at home through…

Children's Sharing Behavior in Mini-Dictator Games: The Role of In-Group Favoritism and Theory of Mind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Jing; Zhu, Liqi; Leslie, Alan M.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the motivational and social-cognitive foundations (i.e., inequality aversion, in-group bias, and theory of mind) that underlie the development of sharing behavior among 3- to 9-year-old Chinese children (N = 122). Each child played two mini-dictator games against an in-group member (friend) and an out-group member…

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Mixed population Minority Game with generalized strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jefferies, P.; Hart, M.; Johnson, N. F.; Hui, P. M.

2000-11-01

We present a quantitative theory, based on crowd effects, for the market volatility in a Minority Game played by a mixed population. Below a critical concentration of generalized strategy players, we find that the volatility in the crowded regime remains above the random coin-toss value regardless of the `temperature' controlling strategy use. Our theory yields good agreement with numerical simulations.

Playing Games during a Lecture Hour: Experience with an Online Blood Grouping Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhaskar, Anand

2014-01-01

Theory lectures are boring and sleep inducing for students, and it is difficult to get their full attention during 1 h of lecture. The ability of students to concentrate diminishes 20-25 min after the start of the lecture. There is also a lack of active participation of students during theory lectures. In an effort to break the monotony of the…

One for All and All for One: Using Multiple Identification Theory Simulations to Build Cooperative Attitudes and Behaviors in a Middle Eastern Conflict Scenario

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Robert Howard; Williams, Alexander Jonathan

2010-01-01

The authors previously developed multiple identification theory (MIT) as a system of simulation game design intended to promote attitude change. The present study further tests MIT's effectiveness. The authors created a game (CULTURE & CREED) via MIT as a complex simulation of Middle Eastern conflict resolution, designed to change attitudes…

Self-Affirmation Theory and Performance Feedback: When Scoring High Makes You Feel Low.

PubMed

Velez, John A; Hanus, Michael D

2016-12-01

Video games have a wide variety of benefits for players. The current study examines how video games can also increase players' willingness to internalize important but threatening self-information. Research suggests that negative information regarding a valued self-image evokes defensive strategies aimed at dismissing or discrediting the source of information. Self-Affirmation Theory proposes that affirming or bolstering an important self-image unrelated to the previous threat can be an effective strategy for reducing defensiveness. Participants in the current study completed a fictitious intelligence test and received negative or no feedback, followed by 15 minutes of video game play that resulted in positive or no feedback. Results suggest that participants who valued video game success as part of their identity exhibited less defensive strategies in the form of increased test credibility ratings and lower self-perceptions of intelligence. This suggests that performing well on a video game is an affirmational resource for players whose identities are contingent upon such success. However, results also indicate that players who did not value video game success but received positive video game feedback exhibited more defensive reactions to the negative intelligence test feedback. This suggests that while players who value video game success as part of their identity may reap benefits from video game play after a self-threat, those who do not value such success may experience more harmful effects.

An Investigation of Partizan Misere Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Meghan Rose

2010-08-01

Combinatorial games are played under two different play conventions: normal play, where the last player to move wins, and mis play, where the last player to move loses. Combinatorial games are also classified into impartial positions and partizan positions, where a position is impartial if both players have the same available moves and partizan otherwise. Mis play games lack many of the useful calculational and theoretical properties of normal play games. Until Plambeck's indistinguishability quotient and mis monoid theory were developed in 2004, research on mis play games had stalled. This thesis investigates partizan combinatorial mis play games, by taking Plambeck's indistinguishability and mis monoid theory for impartial positions and extending it to partizan ones, as well as examining the difficulties in constructing a category of mis play games in a similar manner to Joyal's category of normal play games. This thesis succeeds in finding an infinite set of positions which each have finite mis monoid, examining conditions on positions for when * + * is equivalent to 0, finding a set of positions which have Tweedledum-Tweedledee type strategy, and the two most important results of this thesis: giving necessary and sufficient conditions on a set of positions Upsilon such that the mis monoid of Upsilon is the same as the mis monoid of * and giving a construction theorem which builds all positions ξ such that the mis monoid of ξ is the same as the mis monoid of *.

Quantum entanglement helps in improving economic efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Jiangfeng; Ju, Chenyong; Li, Hui

2005-02-01

We propose an economic regulation approach based on quantum game theory for the government to reduce the abuses of oligopolistic competition. Theoretical analysis shows that this approach can help government improve the economic efficiency of the oligopolistic market, and help prevent monopoly due to incorrect information. These advantages are completely attributed to the quantum entanglement, a unique quantum mechanical character.

Managing Online Discussion Forums: Building Community by Avoiding the Drama Triangle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerlock, Jennifer Ann; McBride, Dawn Lorraine

2013-01-01

The authors critically analyze how the concept of the drama triangle--part of the game theory associated with transactional analysis--can be used by post secondary instructors teaching online to build a sense of community and decrease students' dependence on instructors in discussion forums. The article begins with an overview of sense of…

Evaluating different scenarios for Tradable Green Certificates by game theory approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaffari, Meysam; Hafezalkotob, Ashkan

2018-06-01

Right now employment of polices and tools to decrease the carbon emission through electricity generation from renewable resources is one of the most important problem in energy policy. Tradable Green Certificate (TGC) is an economics mechanism to support green power generation. Any country has the challenge to choose an appropriate policy and mechanism for design and implementation of TGC. The purpose of this study is to help policy makers to design and choose the best scenario of TGC by evaluating six scenarios, based on game theory approach. This study will be useful for increasing the effectiveness of TGC system in interaction with electricity market. Particularly, the competition between thermal and renewable power plants is modeled by mathematical modeling tools such as cooperative games like Nash and Stackelberg. Each game is modeled by taking into account of the two following policies. The results of the six scenarios and the sensitivity analysis of some key parameters have been evaluated by numerical studies. Finally, in order to evaluate the scenarios we calculated the level of social welfare in the all scenarios. The results of all models demonstrate that when the green electricity share (minimum requirement) increases the TGC price decreases. Moreover, in all scenarios when the minimum requirement is 100% then the maximum level of social welfare is not met. Also when the minimum requirement is less than 50%, the scenarios with the market TGC price policy have more social welfare in comparison with the scenarios with fixed TGC price policy.

Longer term consequences of the Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laporte, T. R.

1972-01-01

An assessment of the STOL aircraft and the various means of employing it are discussed in the light of a research study to evaluate the efficacy of such analyses. It was determined that current approaches to assessment are generally inadequate for investigating the full social consequences of implementing a new technology. It is stated that a meaningful methodology of technology assessment must reflect mechanisms underlying the relationship of technology to social change. Interrelated methods which are discussed are: (1) gaming and simulation as heurisitic approaches in analysis and inquiry, (2) long range planning and questions of the future, (3) planning theory as a background for critical analysis of policy planning, and (4) social theory, with particular emphasis on social change and systems theories.

Using Hybrid Modeling to Develop Innovative Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lichtman, Brenda; Avans, Diana

2005-01-01

This article describes a hybrid activities model that physical educators can use with students in grades four and above to create virtually a limitless array of novel games. A brief introduction to the basic theory is followed by descriptions of some hybrid games. Hybrid games are typically the result of merging two traditional sports or other…

Playing Modeling Games in the Science Classroom: The Case for Disciplinary Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sengupta, Pratim; Clark, Doug

2016-01-01

The authors extend the theory of "disciplinary integration" of games for science education beyond the virtual world of games, and identify two key themes of a practice-based theoretical commitment to science learning: (1) materiality in the classroom, and (2) iterative design of multiple, complementary, symbolic inscriptions (e.g.,…

Teaching Australian Football in Physical Education: Constraints Theory in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pill, Shane

2013-01-01

This article outlines a constraints-led process of exploring, modifying, experimenting, adapting, and developing game appreciation known as Game Sense (Australian Sports Commission, 1997; den Duyn, 1996, 1997) for the teaching of Australian football. The game acts as teacher in this constraints-led process. Rather than a linear system that…

Performance Assessment in Serious Games: Compensating for the Effects of Randomness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westera, Wim

2016-01-01

This paper is about performance assessment in serious games. We conceive serious gaming as a process of player-lead decision taking. Starting from combinatorics and item-response theory we provide an analytical model that makes explicit to what extent observed player performances (decisions) are blurred by chance processes (guessing behaviors). We…

Investigating Flow Experience and Scientific Practices during a Mobile Serious Educational Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bressler, Denise M.; Bodzin, Alec M.

2016-01-01

Mobile serious educational games (SEGs) show promise for promoting scientific practices and high engagement. Researchers have quantified this engagement according to flow theory. This study investigated whether a mobile SEG promotes flow experience and scientific practices with eighth-grade urban students. Students playing the game (n = 59) were…

PC Games and the Teaching of History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMichael, Andrew

2007-01-01

Although the use of PC games in the history classroom might be relatively new, the ideas for these assignments and the theory behind their use borrows heavily from a number of areas and combines different pedagogical techniques. Using computer games allows teachers to recombine disparate teaching threads into something novel that will serve…

Examining Student-Designed Games through Suits' Theory of Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Ashley; Hastie, Peter; Jump, Steve

2016-01-01

This paper documents how a unit of student-designed games can create a more meaningful version of physical education (PE) for disengaged students, a version that enhances the educational legitimacy of the subject matter by affording it worth in and of itself rather than being justified for other, extrinsic or instrumental reasons. Furthermore, it…

Exploring Preservice Teacher Perspectives on Video Games as Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ray, Beverly B.; Powell, Angiline; Jacobsen, Brenda

2014-01-01

Despite their popularity with learners, many K-12 teachers are reluctant to use video games as learning tools. Addressing issues surrounding this reluctance is important since the educational use of video games is supported by learning theory and an emerging research base. Specifically, this study adopts exploratory research as a means to examine…

The Effect of Computer Game-Based Learning on FL Vocabulary Transferability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franciosi, Stephan J.

2017-01-01

In theory, computer game-based learning can support several vocabulary learning affordances that have been identified in the foreign language learning research. In the observable evidence, learning with computer games has been shown to improve performance on vocabulary recall tests. However, while simple recall can be a sign of learning,…

A comparison of naïve and sophisticated subject behavior with game theoretic predictions

PubMed Central

McCabe, Kevin A.; Smith, Vernon L.

2000-01-01

We use an extensive form two-person game as the basis for two experiments designed to compare the behavior of two groups of subjects with each other and with the subgame perfect theoretical prediction in an anonymous interaction protocol. The two subject groups are undergraduates and advanced graduate students, the latter having studied economics and game theory. There is no difference in their choice behavior, and both groups depart substantially from game theoretic predictions. We also compare a subsample of the same graduate students with a typical undergraduate sample in an asset trading environment in which inexperienced undergraduates invariably produce substantial departures from the rational expectations prediction. In this way, we examine how robust are the results across two distinct anonymous interactive environments. In the constant sum trading game, the graduate students closely track the predictions of rational theory. Our interpretation is that the graduate student subjects' departure from subgame perfection to achieve cooperative outcomes in the two-person bargaining game is a consequence of a deliberate strategy and is not the result of error or inadequate learning. PMID:10725349

A Markov game theoretic data fusion approach for cyber situational awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Dan; Chen, Genshe; Cruz, Jose B., Jr.; Haynes, Leonard; Kruger, Martin; Blasch, Erik

2007-04-01

This paper proposes an innovative data-fusion/ data-mining game theoretic situation awareness and impact assessment approach for cyber network defense. Alerts generated by Intrusion Detection Sensors (IDSs) or Intrusion Prevention Sensors (IPSs) are fed into the data refinement (Level 0) and object assessment (L1) data fusion components. High-level situation/threat assessment (L2/L3) data fusion based on Markov game model and Hierarchical Entity Aggregation (HEA) are proposed to refine the primitive prediction generated by adaptive feature/pattern recognition and capture new unknown features. A Markov (Stochastic) game method is used to estimate the belief of each possible cyber attack pattern. Game theory captures the nature of cyber conflicts: determination of the attacking-force strategies is tightly coupled to determination of the defense-force strategies and vice versa. Also, Markov game theory deals with uncertainty and incompleteness of available information. A software tool is developed to demonstrate the performance of the high level information fusion for cyber network defense situation and a simulation example shows the enhanced understating of cyber-network defense.

A Game-Theoretic Measure of Presence for Assessing Aircraft Carrier Options.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

AD-A121 599 A GAME -THEORETIC MEASURE 0F PRESENCE FOR ASSESSIN NO ANALYSES ALEXANDRIA VA PROGRAM ANALYR PRE P S IE O ESE UNCLASSIFED JH GPOTTE ET...1. REPORT MNUM 1 L GOVT ACCESRIM IM. REINT5 CPAALOG NUOGG 14. TITLE Cid ubMsj S. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED A Game -Theoretic Measure of...NOTES C Is. KEY wOrS (0mM. 0a No" f .a..eaup meM RSEI’ p eek ... l6t Game theory, Zero-sum games , Col Blotto games , aircraft carriers, alternative

Wavelet analysis of frequency chaos game signal: a time-frequency signature of the C. elegans DNA.

PubMed

Messaoudi, Imen; Oueslati, Afef Elloumi; Lachiri, Zied

2014-12-01

Challenging tasks are encountered in the field of bioinformatics. The choice of the genomic sequence's mapping technique is one the most fastidious tasks. It shows that a judicious choice would serve in examining periodic patterns distribution that concord with the underlying structure of genomes. Despite that, searching for a coding technique that can highlight all the information contained in the DNA has not yet attracted the attention it deserves. In this paper, we propose a new mapping technique based on the chaos game theory that we call the frequency chaos game signal (FCGS). The particularity of the FCGS coding resides in exploiting the statistical properties of the genomic sequence itself. This may reflect important structural and organizational features of DNA. To prove the usefulness of the FCGS approach in the detection of different local periodic patterns, we use the wavelet analysis because it provides access to information that can be obscured by other time-frequency methods such as the Fourier analysis. Thus, we apply the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) with the complex Morlet wavelet as a mother wavelet function. Scalograms that relate to the organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) exhibit a multitude of periodic organization of specific DNA sequences.

Evidence Combination From an Evolutionary Game Theory Perspective.

PubMed

Deng, Xinyang; Han, Deqiang; Dezert, Jean; Deng, Yong; Shyr, Yu

2016-09-01

Dempster-Shafer evidence theory is a primary methodology for multisource information fusion because it is good at dealing with uncertain information. This theory provides a Dempster's rule of combination to synthesize multiple evidences from various information sources. However, in some cases, counter-intuitive results may be obtained based on that combination rule. Numerous new or improved methods have been proposed to suppress these counter-intuitive results based on perspectives, such as minimizing the information loss or deviation. Inspired by evolutionary game theory, this paper considers a biological and evolutionary perspective to study the combination of evidences. An evolutionary combination rule (ECR) is proposed to help find the most biologically supported proposition in a multievidence system. Within the proposed ECR, we develop a Jaccard matrix game to formalize the interaction between propositions in evidences, and utilize the replicator dynamics to mimick the evolution of propositions. Experimental results show that the proposed ECR can effectively suppress the counter-intuitive behaviors appeared in typical paradoxes of evidence theory, compared with many existing methods. Properties of the ECR, such as solution's stability and convergence, have been mathematically proved as well.

Grounded and embodied mathematical cognition: Promoting mathematical insight and proof using action and language.

PubMed

Nathan, Mitchell J; Walkington, Candace

2017-01-01

We develop a theory of grounded and embodied mathematical cognition (GEMC) that draws on action-cognition transduction for advancing understanding of how the body can support mathematical reasoning. GEMC proposes that participants' actions serve as inputs capable of driving the cognition-action system toward associated cognitive states. This occurs through a process of transduction that promotes valuable mathematical insights by eliciting dynamic depictive gestures that enact spatio-temporal properties of mathematical entities. Our focus here is on pre-college geometry proof production. GEMC suggests that action alone can foster insight but is insufficient for valid proof production if action is not coordinated with language systems for propositionalizing general properties of objects and space. GEMC guides the design of a video game-based learning environment intended to promote students' mathematical insights and informal proofs by eliciting dynamic gestures through in-game directed actions. GEMC generates several hypotheses that contribute to theories of embodied cognition and to the design of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education interventions. Pilot study results with a prototype video game tentatively support theory-based predictions regarding the role of dynamic gestures for fostering insight and proof-with-insight, and for the role of action coupled with language to promote proof-with-insight. But the pilot yields mixed results for deriving in-game interventions intended to elicit dynamic gesture production. Although our central purpose is an explication of GEMC theory and the role of action-cognition transduction, the theory-based video game design reveals the potential of GEMC to improve STEM education, and highlights the complex challenges of connecting embodiment research to education practices and learning environment design.

Conflict resolution in the zoning of eco-protected areas in fast-growing regions based on game theory.

PubMed

Lin, Jinyao; Li, Xia

2016-04-01

Zoning eco-protected areas is important for ecological conservation and environmental management. Rapid and continuous urban expansion, however, may exert negative effects on the performance of practical zoning designs. Various methods have been developed for protected area zoning, but most of them failed to consider the conflicts between urban development (for the benefit of land developers) and ecological protection (local government). Some real-world zoning schemes even have to be modified occasionally after the lengthy negotiations between the government and land developers. Therefore, our study has presented a game theory-based method to deal with this problem. Future urban expansion in the study area will be predicted by a logistic regression cellular automaton, while eco-protected areas will be delimitated using multi-objective optimization algorithm. Then, two types of conflicts between them can be resolved based on game theory, a theory of decision-making. We established a two-person dynamic game for each conflict zone. The ecological compensation mechanism was taken into account by simulating the negotiation processes between the government and land developers. A final zoning scheme can be obtained when the two sides reach agreements. The proposed method is applied to the eco-protected area zoning in Guangzhou, a fast-growing city in China. The experiments indicate that the conflicts between eco-protection and urban development will inevitably arise when using only traditional zoning methods. Based on game theory, our method can effectively resolve those conflicts, and can provide a relatively reasonable zoning scheme. This method is expected to support policy-making in environmental management and urban planning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How to Love the Bomb: Trying to solve the prisoner's dilemma with evolutionary game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castela, Vasco

Economists traditionally see altruistic acts as irrational. However, in the Prisoner's Dilemma, a rational player can do worse than a moral player. The rules of the game imply that one cannot defend one's best interest if one tries to. Game theory has struggled to explain how an agent could have access to the strategically best outcome without behaving irrationally, but with little success. Can a complex systems approach do better?. Peter Danielson, using Evolutionary Game Theory, has avoided some of the assumptions of Game Theory by using a complexity approach to reframe the problem, and offers a solution of sorts. According to Danielson, the foundations of altruism are mechanisms of deterrence that rely on credible threat - we are nice for fear of retaliation. He is both right and wrong. It will be argued that utilitarian, consequentialist principles must have been at work to create the conditions for altruistic acts to be performed. It is wrong to expect, however, that the same reasons are the reasons for action. In order for a model of genuine altruism to be possible, an extra cog must be inserted in the mechanism of causality in order to distance moral action from its strategic advantages. If emotions fulfill this role, we can tell a story in which it is rational to act on altruistic motivations and materially advantageous to hold such motivations. Moral sentiments can be seen as a tool designed by evolution to help optimize cooperation in a social environment. The proposed account integrates the Humean theory of motivation with Robert Frank's commitment model and Aristotle's views on moral education, keeping an adequate story of how it can be in our material interest to be moral without having to renounce to the existence of genuine acts of altruism.

A game theory-reinforcement learning (GT-RL) method to develop optimal operation policies for multi-operator reservoir systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madani, Kaveh; Hooshyar, Milad

2014-11-01

Reservoir systems with multiple operators can benefit from coordination of operation policies. To maximize the total benefit of these systems the literature has normally used the social planner's approach. Based on this approach operation decisions are optimized using a multi-objective optimization model with a compound system's objective. While the utility of the system can be increased this way, fair allocation of benefits among the operators remains challenging for the social planner who has to assign controversial weights to the system's beneficiaries and their objectives. Cooperative game theory provides an alternative framework for fair and efficient allocation of the incremental benefits of cooperation. To determine the fair and efficient utility shares of the beneficiaries, cooperative game theory solution methods consider the gains of each party in the status quo (non-cooperation) as well as what can be gained through the grand coalition (social planner's solution or full cooperation) and partial coalitions. Nevertheless, estimation of the benefits of different coalitions can be challenging in complex multi-beneficiary systems. Reinforcement learning can be used to address this challenge and determine the gains of the beneficiaries for different levels of cooperation, i.e., non-cooperation, partial cooperation, and full cooperation, providing the essential input for allocation based on cooperative game theory. This paper develops a game theory-reinforcement learning (GT-RL) method for determining the optimal operation policies in multi-operator multi-reservoir systems with respect to fairness and efficiency criteria. As the first step to underline the utility of the GT-RL method in solving complex multi-agent multi-reservoir problems without a need for developing compound objectives and weight assignment, the proposed method is applied to a hypothetical three-agent three-reservoir system.

Synthesis of robust nonlinear autopilots using differential game theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menon, P. K. A.

1991-01-01

A synthesis technique for handling unmodeled disturbances in nonlinear control law synthesis was advanced using differential game theory. Two types of modeling inaccuracies can be included in the formulation. The first is a bias-type error, while the second is the scale-factor-type error in the control variables. The disturbances were assumed to satisfy an integral inequality constraint. Additionally, it was assumed that they act in such a way as to maximize a quadratic performance index. Expressions for optimal control and worst-case disturbance were then obtained using optimal control theory.

Defining and Leveraging Game Qualities for Serious Games

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Michael W.; Shen, Yuzhong

2011-01-01

Serious games can and should leverage the unique qualities of video games to effectively deliver educational experiences for the learners. However, leveraging these qualities is incumbent upon understanding what these unique 'game' qualities are , and how they can facilitate the learning process. This paper presents an examination of the meaning of the term 'game' . as it applies to both serious games and digital entertainment games. Through the examination of counter examples, we derive three game characteristics; games are self contained, provide a variety of meaningful choices, and are intrinsically compelling. We also discuss the theoretical educational foundations which support the application of these 'game qualities' to educational endeavors. This paper concludes with a presentation of results achieved through the application of these qualities and the applicable educational theories to teach learners about the periodic table of elements via a serious game developed by the authors.

Designing a Health-Game Intervention Supporting Health Literacy and a Tobacco-Free Life in Early Adolescence.

PubMed

Parisod, Heidi; Pakarinen, Anni; Axelin, Anna; Danielsson-Ojala, Riitta; Smed, Jouni; Salanterä, Sanna

2017-08-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the design of a health game that aims to both support tobacco-related health literacy and a tobacco-free life in early adolescence and to meet adolescents' expectations. Data were collected from adolescents using an open-ended questionnaire (n = 83) and focus groups (n = 39) to obtain their view of a health game used for tobacco-related health education. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. A group of experts combined the adolescents' views with theoretical information on health literacy and designed and produced the first version of the game. Adolescents (session 1, n = 16; session 3, n = 10; and session 4, n = 44) and health promotion professionals (session 2, n = 3) participated in testing the game. Feedback from testing sessions 3 and 4 was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Adolescents pointed out that the health game needs to approach the topic of tobacco delicately and focus on the adolescents' perspective and on the positive sides of a tobacco-free life rather than only on the negative consequences of tobacco. The adolescents expected the game to be of high quality, stimulating, and intellectually challenging and to offer possibilities for individualization. Elements from the adolescents' view and theoretical modelling were embedded into the design of a game called Fume. Feedback on the game was promising, but some points were highlighted for further development. Investing especially in high-quality design features, such as graphics and versatile content, using humoristic or otherwise stimulating elements, and maintaining sufficiently challenging gameplay would promote the acceptability of theory-based health games among adolescents.

A prospective study of the motivational and health dynamics of Internet Gaming Disorder.

PubMed

Weinstein, Netta; Przybylski, Andrew K; Murayama, Kou

2017-01-01

The American Psychiatric Association has identified Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a potential psychiatric condition and called for research to investigate its etiology, stability, and impacts on health and behavior. The present study recruited 5,777 American adults and applied self-determination theory to examine how motivational factors influence, and are influenced by, IGD and health across a six month period. Following a preregistered analysis plan, results confirmed our hypotheses that IGD criteria are moderately stable and that they and basic psychological need satisfaction have a reciprocal relationship over time. Results also showed need satisfaction promoted health and served as a protective factor against IGD. Contrary to what was hypothesized, results provided no evidence directly linking IGD to health over time. Exploratory analyses suggested that IGD may have indirect effects on health by way of its impact on basic needs. Implications are discussed in terms of existing gaming addiction and motivational frameworks.

Game Analysis of Water Pollution Control in China’s Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shu Wen

2018-05-01

Water pollution in the river basin is an important environmental management problem in China. At present, China’s environmental governance has entered the policy game stage centered on related interests. There are two main focus areas. First, it aims to resolve the conflict between the central government, local governments, and enterprises in terms of the utilization of basin resources and the environment. Second, it is responsible for the implementation of environmental policy. By analyzing the relationships between the central government, local governments, and enterprises in the process of water pollution control in the river basin, this study examines the environmental regulation of the central government and the collusion between local governments and enterprises to pollute the environment. To achieve this, game theory is applied from the perspective of information economics. Lastly, the study proposes corresponding policy recommendations in order to get out of the “prisoner’s dilemma”.

A prospective study of the motivational and health dynamics of Internet Gaming Disorder

PubMed Central

Przybylski, Andrew K.; Murayama, Kou

2017-01-01

The American Psychiatric Association has identified Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a potential psychiatric condition and called for research to investigate its etiology, stability, and impacts on health and behavior. The present study recruited 5,777 American adults and applied self-determination theory to examine how motivational factors influence, and are influenced by, IGD and health across a six month period. Following a preregistered analysis plan, results confirmed our hypotheses that IGD criteria are moderately stable and that they and basic psychological need satisfaction have a reciprocal relationship over time. Results also showed need satisfaction promoted health and served as a protective factor against IGD. Contrary to what was hypothesized, results provided no evidence directly linking IGD to health over time. Exploratory analyses suggested that IGD may have indirect effects on health by way of its impact on basic needs. Implications are discussed in terms of existing gaming addiction and motivational frameworks. PMID:28975056

The 2002 Sydney Gay Games: re-presenting "lesbian" identities through sporting space.

PubMed

Lambert, Karen

2009-01-01

In this article poetic representation in qualitative research is explored in relation to researching "lesbian" lives. Set within the context of The 2002 Sydney Gay Games the article considers how poetry can bring to light experiences at the intersection of sexuality, sport, and place. The article details three aspects to this process. First, by asking what queer theory could do for particular research subjects, a robust, malleable, and transportable theoretical concept of "queer" is proposed that is responsive to the participants' lives and experiences. Second, this concept is applied methodologically in order to unsettle more traditional academic modes of representing interview data through the use of poetic forms of representation. Finally, a poem constructed from the Opening Ceremony of The Gay Games is presented and analyzed. Poetic representation is thus offered as a distinct methodology that permits a particular kind of "queer" analysis when researching "lesbian" lives.

Ensemble method: Community detection based on game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xia; Xia, Zhengyou; Xu, Shengwu; Wang, J. D.

2014-08-01

Timely and cost-effective analytics over social network has emerged as a key ingredient for success in many businesses and government endeavors. Community detection is an active research area of relevance to analyze online social network. The problem of selecting a particular community detection algorithm is crucial if the aim is to unveil the community structure of a network. The choice of a given methodology could affect the outcome of the experiments because different algorithms have different advantages and depend on tuning specific parameters. In this paper, we propose a community division model based on the notion of game theory, which can combine advantages of previous algorithms effectively to get a better community classification result. By making experiments on some standard dataset, it verifies that our community detection model based on game theory is valid and better.

A game theory-based trust measurement model for social networks.

PubMed

Wang, Yingjie; Cai, Zhipeng; Yin, Guisheng; Gao, Yang; Tong, Xiangrong; Han, Qilong

2016-01-01

In social networks, trust is a complex social network. Participants in online social networks want to share information and experiences with as many reliable users as possible. However, the modeling of trust is complicated and application dependent. Modeling trust needs to consider interaction history, recommendation, user behaviors and so on. Therefore, modeling trust is an important focus for online social networks. We propose a game theory-based trust measurement model for social networks. The trust degree is calculated from three aspects, service reliability, feedback effectiveness, recommendation credibility, to get more accurate result. In addition, to alleviate the free-riding problem, we propose a game theory-based punishment mechanism for specific trust and global trust, respectively. We prove that the proposed trust measurement model is effective. The free-riding problem can be resolved effectively through adding the proposed punishment mechanism.

Coordination games, anti-coordination games, and imitative learning.

PubMed

McCain, Roger A; Hamilton, Richard

2014-02-01

Bentley et al.'s scheme generates distributions characteristic of situations of high and low social influence on decisions and of high and low salience ("transparency") of rewards. Another element of decisions that may influence the placement of a decision process in their map is the way in which individual decisions interact to determine the payoffs. This commentary discusses the role of Nash equilibria in game theory, focusing especially on coordination and anti-coordination games.

Implementing Realistic Helicopter Physics in 3D Game Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-09-01

developed a highly realistic and innovative PC video game that puts you inside an Army unit. You’ll face your first tour of duty along with your fellow...helicopter physics. Many other video games include helicopters but omit realistic third person helicopter behaviors in their applications. Of the 48...to be too computationally expensive for a PC based video game . Generally, some basic parts of blade element theory are present in any attempt to

Games for Social Change: Review of the Potential for Multi Player Online Gaming to Facilitate the Emergence and Growth of Progressive Movements for Social Change within Youth and Community Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Paul

2016-01-01

Building on the use of the internet and social media as sites for activism, this paper highlights the emergence of political activism and collective protest in the online gaming environment. Referencing social movement theory and the rapidly evolving capacity of multiplayer online games to facilitate the development of strong group identities and…

The Handicap Principle for Trust in Computer Security, the Semantic Web and Social Networking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Zhanshan (Sam); Krings, Axel W.; Hung, Chih-Cheng

Communication is a fundamental function of life, and it exists in almost all living things: from single-cell bacteria to human beings. Communication, together with competition and cooperation,arethree fundamental processes in nature. Computer scientists are familiar with the study of competition or 'struggle for life' through Darwin's evolutionary theory, or even evolutionary computing. They may be equally familiar with the study of cooperation or altruism through the Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) game. However, they are likely to be less familiar with the theory of animal communication. The objective of this article is three-fold: (i) To suggest that the study of animal communication, especially the honesty (reliability) of animal communication, in which some significant advances in behavioral biology have been achieved in the last three decades, should be on the verge to spawn important cross-disciplinary research similar to that generated by the study of cooperation with the PD game. One of the far-reaching advances in the field is marked by the publication of "The Handicap Principle: a Missing Piece of Darwin's Puzzle" by Zahavi (1997). The 'Handicap' principle [34][35], which states that communication signals must be costly in some proper way to be reliable (honest), is best elucidated with evolutionary games, e.g., Sir Philip Sidney (SPS) game [23]. Accordingly, we suggest that the Handicap principle may serve as a fundamental paradigm for trust research in computer science. (ii) To suggest to computer scientists that their expertise in modeling computer networks may help behavioral biologists in their study of the reliability of animal communication networks. This is largely due to the historical reason that, until the last decade, animal communication was studied with the dyadic paradigm (sender-receiver) rather than with the network paradigm. (iii) To pose several open questions, the answers to which may bear some refreshing insights to trust research in computer science, especially secure and resilient computing, the semantic web, and social networking. One important thread unifying the three aspects is the evolutionary game theory modeling or its extensions with survival analysis and agreement algorithms [19][20], which offer powerful game models for describing time-, space-, and covariate-dependent frailty (uncertainty and vulnerability) and deception (honesty).

Using game theory approach to interpret stable policies for Iran's oil and gas common resources conflicts with Iraq and Qatar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esmaeili, Maryam; Bahrini, Aram; Shayanrad, Sepideh

2015-12-01

Oil and gas as the non-renewable resources are considered very valuable for the countries with petroleum economics. These resources are not only diffused equally around the world, but also they are common in some places which their neighbors often come into conflicts. Consequently, it is vital for those countries to manage their resource utilization. Lately, game theory was applied in conflict resolution of common resources, such as water, which is a proof of its efficacy and capability. This paper models the conflicts between Iran and its neighbors namely Qatar and Iraq between their oil and gas common resources using game theory approach. In other words, the future of these countries will be introduced and analyzed by some well-known 2 × 2 games to achieve a better perspective of their conflicts. Because of information inadequacy of the players, in addition to Nash Stability, various solution concepts are used based on the foresight, disimprovements, and knowledge of preferences. The results of mathematical models show how the countries could take a reasonable strategy to exploit their common resources.

Social cycling and conditional responses in the Rock-Paper-Scissors game

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhijian; Xu, Bin; Zhou, Hai-Jun

2014-01-01

How humans make decisions in non-cooperative strategic interactions is a big question. For the fundamental Rock-Paper-Scissors (RPS) model game system, classic Nash equilibrium (NE) theory predicts that players randomize completely their action choices to avoid being exploited, while evolutionary game theory of bounded rationality in general predicts persistent cyclic motions, especially in finite populations. However as empirical studies have been relatively sparse, it is still a controversial issue as to which theoretical framework is more appropriate to describe decision-making of human subjects. Here we observe population-level persistent cyclic motions in a laboratory experiment of the discrete-time iterated RPS game under the traditional random pairwise-matching protocol. This collective behavior contradicts with the NE theory but is quantitatively explained, without any adjustable parameter, by a microscopic model of win-lose-tie conditional response. Theoretical calculations suggest that if all players adopt the same optimized conditional response strategy, their accumulated payoff will be much higher than the reference value of the NE mixed strategy. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of understanding human competition behaviors from the angle of non-equilibrium statistical physics. PMID:25060115

Path synthesis of four-bar mechanisms using synergy of polynomial neural network and Stackelberg game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadi, Bahman; Nariman-zadeh, Nader; Jamali, Ali

2017-06-01

In this article, a novel approach based on game theory is presented for multi-objective optimal synthesis of four-bar mechanisms. The multi-objective optimization problem is modelled as a Stackelberg game. The more important objective function, tracking error, is considered as the leader, and the other objective function, deviation of the transmission angle from 90° (TA), is considered as the follower. In a new approach, a group method of data handling (GMDH)-type neural network is also utilized to construct an approximate model for the rational reaction set (RRS) of the follower. Using the proposed game-theoretic approach, the multi-objective optimal synthesis of a four-bar mechanism is then cast into a single-objective optimal synthesis using the leader variables and the obtained RRS of the follower. The superiority of using the synergy game-theoretic method of Stackelberg with a GMDH-type neural network is demonstrated for two case studies on the synthesis of four-bar mechanisms.

Evolutionary games on graphs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szabó, György; Fáth, Gábor

2007-07-01

Game theory is one of the key paradigms behind many scientific disciplines from biology to behavioral sciences to economics. In its evolutionary form and especially when the interacting agents are linked in a specific social network the underlying solution concepts and methods are very similar to those applied in non-equilibrium statistical physics. This review gives a tutorial-type overview of the field for physicists. The first four sections introduce the necessary background in classical and evolutionary game theory from the basic definitions to the most important results. The fifth section surveys the topological complications implied by non-mean-field-type social network structures in general. The next three sections discuss in detail the dynamic behavior of three prominent classes of models: the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Rock-Scissors-Paper game, and Competing Associations. The major theme of the review is in what sense and how the graph structure of interactions can modify and enrich the picture of long term behavioral patterns emerging in evolutionary games.

The mediational role of identification in the relationship between experience mode and self-efficacy: Enactive role-playing versus passive observation.

PubMed

Peng, Wei

2008-12-01

Abstract Based on Social Cognitive Theory, this study proposes a new concept-mediated enactive experience to understand game playing effects on self-efficacy in the context of a health promotion role-playing game. An experiment demonstrated that a mediated enactive experience afforded by game playing was more effective than a mediated observational experience provided by game watching in influencing self-efficacy. It was found that identification with the game character partially mediated the relationship between experience mode and self-efficacy.

Game theory in models of pedestrian room evacuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouzat, S.; Kuperman, M. N.

2014-03-01

We analyze the pedestrian evacuation of a rectangular room with a single door considering a lattice gas scheme with the addition of behavioral aspects of the pedestrians. The movement of the individuals is based on random and rational choices and is affected by conflicts between two or more agents that want to advance to the same position. Such conflicts are solved according to certain rules closely related to the concept of strategies in game theory, cooperation and defection. We consider game rules analogous to those from the Prisoner's Dilemma and Stag Hunt games, with payoffs associated to the probabilities of the individuals to advance to the selected site. We find that, even when defecting is the rational choice for any agent, under certain conditions, cooperators can take advantage from mutual cooperation and leave the room more rapidly than defectors.

Game theory in models of pedestrian room evacuation.

PubMed

Bouzat, S; Kuperman, M N

2014-03-01

We analyze the pedestrian evacuation of a rectangular room with a single door considering a lattice gas scheme with the addition of behavioral aspects of the pedestrians. The movement of the individuals is based on random and rational choices and is affected by conflicts between two or more agents that want to advance to the same position. Such conflicts are solved according to certain rules closely related to the concept of strategies in game theory, cooperation and defection. We consider game rules analogous to those from the Prisoner's Dilemma and Stag Hunt games, with payoffs associated to the probabilities of the individuals to advance to the selected site. We find that, even when defecting is the rational choice for any agent, under certain conditions, cooperators can take advantage from mutual cooperation and leave the room more rapidly than defectors.

Game theory and extremal optimization for community detection in complex dynamic networks.

PubMed

Lung, Rodica Ioana; Chira, Camelia; Andreica, Anca

2014-01-01

The detection of evolving communities in dynamic complex networks is a challenging problem that recently received attention from the research community. Dynamics clearly add another complexity dimension to the difficult task of community detection. Methods should be able to detect changes in the network structure and produce a set of community structures corresponding to different timestamps and reflecting the evolution in time of network data. We propose a novel approach based on game theory elements and extremal optimization to address dynamic communities detection. Thus, the problem is formulated as a mathematical game in which nodes take the role of players that seek to choose a community that maximizes their profit viewed as a fitness function. Numerical results obtained for both synthetic and real-world networks illustrate the competitive performance of this game theoretical approach.

In pursuit of change: youth response to intensive goal setting embedded in a serious video game.

PubMed

Thompson, Debbe; Baranowski, Tom; Buday, Richard; Baranowski, Janice; Juliano, Melissa; Frazior, McKee; Wilsdon, Jon; Jago, Russell

2007-11-01

Type 2 diabetes has increased in prevalence among youth, paralleling the increase in pediatric obesity. Helping youth achieve energy balance by changing diet and physical activity behaviors should decrease the risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Goal setting and goal review are critical components of behavior change. Theory-informed video games that emphasize development and refinement of goal setting and goal review skills provide a method for achieving energy balance in an informative, entertaining format. This article reports alpha-testing results of early versions of theory-informed goal setting and reviews components of two diabetes and obesity prevention video games for preadolescents. Two episodes each of two video games were alpha tested with 9- to 11-year-old youth from multiple ethnic groups. Alpha testing included observed game play followed by a scripted interview. The staff was trained in observation and interview techniques prior to data collection. Although some difficulties were encountered, alpha testers generally understood goal setting and review components and comprehended they were setting personal goals. Although goal setting and review involved multiple steps, youth were generally able to complete them quickly, with minimal difficulty. Few technical issues arose; however, several usability and comprehension problems were identified. Theory-informed video games may be an effective medium for promoting youth diabetes and obesity prevention. Alpha testing helps identify problems likely to have a negative effect on functionality, usability, and comprehension during development, thereby providing an opportunity to correct these issues prior to final production.

Videogame Mechanics in Games for Health.

PubMed

Baranowski, Moderator Tom; Lieberman, Participants Debra; Buday, Richard; Peng, Wei; Zimmerli, Lukas; Wiederhold, Brenda; Kato, Pamela M

2013-08-01

Game mechanics have been identified as "methods invoked by agents for interacting with the game world."(1) They are elements of game play that provide a primary source of interactivity and structure how videogames proceed. Many kinds of game mechanics have been generated. Some provide fun or enjoyment, others may provide excitement or even suspense (i.e., emotional aspects of game play), whereas some are guided by principles of behavior change theory. Game mechanics that succeed in off-the-shelf entertainment videogames, however, may not work in serious games, such as games for health (G4H). Although game mechanics are key to a serious videogame's success, maintaining a balance between the serious intent of the game while keeping it fun, there has been little attention to game mechanics in the academic G4H literature. Several eminent games for health developers (academics and nonacademics) were asked to share their experiences in regard to game mechanics in the serious videogames they have developed.

Doing a Monty: Who Opened the Door to This Game for Economists?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Round, David K.

2007-01-01

The Monty Hall three-door, "Let's Make a Deal" game, named after the 1970s television show, is used widely in economics, econometrics, statistics, and game-theory-based teaching, as well as in many other disciplines. Its solutions and underlying assumptions arouse great passion and argument, in both the academic and popular press. Most economists…

The Dating Game: An Exercise Illustrating the Concepts of Homogamy, Heterogamy, Hyperogamy, and Hypogamy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Eileen; Foley, Lara

1999-01-01

Describes the "Dating Game," an exercise for use in marriage and family courses that enables students to learn about the theories of mate selection by simulating random mating. States that the dating game helps make mate selection concepts relevant to the students' lives. Discusses the students' reaction to the exercise. (CMK)

Computer Assisted Instruction: The Game "Le Choc des Multinationales."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cramer, Hazel

"Le Choc de Multinationales" is a microcomputer game for students in an upper-level commercial French couse, to be played by two opponents, one of whom may be another student or the computer itself as a direct business competitor. The game's requirements for language use and knowledge of business and economics theory and principles are moderate,…

Games as Artistic Medium: Interfacing Complexity Theory in Game-Based Art Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patton, Ryan Matthew

2011-01-01

Having computer skills, let alone access to a personal computer, has become a necessary component of contemporary Western society and many parts of the world. Digital media literacy involves youth being able to view, participate in, and make creative works with technologies in personal and meaningful ways. Games, defined in this study as…

Come on Down ... The Prize Is Right in Your Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butterworth, William T.; Coe, Paul R.

2004-01-01

"The Price is Right" ("TPIR") is a rich source of examples of applied probability, combinatorics, and game theory. While some of the games played on stage by individual contestants stress a knowledge of pricing, many are also heavily based on probability. "TPIR" stage games are a treasury of interesting modules that can be effective learning tools…

The Benefits of Game Use in a Signal Processing Graduate Class

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

advantages to using games in the classroom has been well doc- umented throughout the years and their use is supported by a range of learning theories [7], [8...TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Benefits Of Game Use In A Signal Processing Graduate Class 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER

Multi-objective Optimization Strategies Using Adjoint Method and Game Theory in Aerodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Zhili

2006-08-01

There are currently three different game strategies originated in economics: (1) Cooperative games (Pareto front), (2) Competitive games (Nash game) and (3) Hierarchical games (Stackelberg game). Each game achieves different equilibria with different performance, and their players play different roles in the games. Here, we introduced game concept into aerodynamic design, and combined it with adjoint method to solve multi-criteria aerodynamic optimization problems. The performance distinction of the equilibria of these three game strategies was investigated by numerical experiments. We computed Pareto front, Nash and Stackelberg equilibria of the same optimization problem with two conflicting and hierarchical targets under different parameterizations by using the deterministic optimization method. The numerical results show clearly that all the equilibria solutions are inferior to the Pareto front. Non-dominated Pareto front solutions are obtained, however the CPU cost to capture a set of solutions makes the Pareto front an expensive tool to the designer.

A Game Theory Algorithm for Intra-Cluster Data Aggregation in a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network

PubMed Central

Chen, Yuzhong; Weng, Shining; Guo, Wenzhong; Xiong, Naixue

2016-01-01

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have an important role in urban management and planning. The effective integration of vehicle information in VANETs is critical to traffic analysis, large-scale vehicle route planning and intelligent transportation scheduling. However, given the limitations in the precision of the output information of a single sensor and the difficulty of information sharing among various sensors in a highly dynamic VANET, effectively performing data aggregation in VANETs remains a challenge. Moreover, current studies have mainly focused on data aggregation in large-scale environments but have rarely discussed the issue of intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs. In this study, we propose a multi-player game theory algorithm for intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs by analyzing the competitive and cooperative relationships among sensor nodes. Several sensor-centric metrics are proposed to measure the data redundancy and stability of a cluster. We then study the utility function to achieve efficient intra-cluster data aggregation by considering both data redundancy and cluster stability. In particular, we prove the existence of a unique Nash equilibrium in the game model, and conduct extensive experiments to validate the proposed algorithm. Results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has advantages over typical data aggregation algorithms in both accuracy and efficiency. PMID:26907272

A Game Theory Algorithm for Intra-Cluster Data Aggregation in a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network.

PubMed

Chen, Yuzhong; Weng, Shining; Guo, Wenzhong; Xiong, Naixue

2016-02-19

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have an important role in urban management and planning. The effective integration of vehicle information in VANETs is critical to traffic analysis, large-scale vehicle route planning and intelligent transportation scheduling. However, given the limitations in the precision of the output information of a single sensor and the difficulty of information sharing among various sensors in a highly dynamic VANET, effectively performing data aggregation in VANETs remains a challenge. Moreover, current studies have mainly focused on data aggregation in large-scale environments but have rarely discussed the issue of intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs. In this study, we propose a multi-player game theory algorithm for intra-cluster data aggregation in VANETs by analyzing the competitive and cooperative relationships among sensor nodes. Several sensor-centric metrics are proposed to measure the data redundancy and stability of a cluster. We then study the utility function to achieve efficient intra-cluster data aggregation by considering both data redundancy and cluster stability. In particular, we prove the existence of a unique Nash equilibrium in the game model, and conduct extensive experiments to validate the proposed algorithm. Results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has advantages over typical data aggregation algorithms in both accuracy and efficiency.

Team reasoning: Solving the puzzle of coordination.

PubMed

Colman, Andrew M; Gold, Natalie

2017-11-03

In many everyday activities, individuals have a common interest in coordinating their actions. Orthodox game theory cannot explain such intuitively obvious forms of coordination as the selection of an outcome that is best for all in a common-interest game. Theories of team reasoning provide a convincing solution by proposing that people are sometimes motivated to maximize the collective payoff of a group and that they adopt a distinctive mode of reasoning from preferences to decisions. This also offers a compelling explanation of cooperation in social dilemmas. A review of team reasoning and related theories suggests how team reasoning could be incorporated into psychological theories of group identification and social value orientation theory to provide a deeper understanding of these phenomena.

Despotism, democracy, and the evolutionary dynamics of leadership and followership.

PubMed

Van Vugt, Mark

2009-01-01

Responds to comments made by George B. Graen and Stephen J. Guastello on the current author's article Leadership, followership, and evolution: Some lessons from the past by Van Vugt, Hogan, and Kaiser. In the original article my co-authors and I proposed a new way of thinking about leadership, informed by evolutionary (neo-Darwinian) theory. In the first commentary, Graen noted that we ignored a number of recently developed psychological theories of leadership that take into account the leader-follower relationship, most notably LMX theory. LMX theory asserts that leadership effectiveness and team performance are affected by the quality of working relationships between superior and subordinates. Because the original article primarily dealt with questions about the origins of leadership--the phylogenetic and evolutionary causes--we had to be concise in our review of proximate psychological theories of leadership. In the second commentary, Guastello concurred with the importance of an evolutionary game analysis for studying leadership but disagreed with certain details of our analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

A mathematical view for ordinary differential equation models. Comment on ;Epigenetic game theory: How to compute the epigenetic control of maternal-to-zygotic transition; by Qian Wang et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Guifang

2017-03-01

Qian Wang et al. have written an interesting article to propose a modeling framework named epiGame in this issue of Physics of Life Reviews [1]. The epiGame framework models how the methylation state of paternal and maternal genomes regulates the embryogenesis as an ecological system in which two highly distinct and specialized gametes coordinate through either cooperation or competition, or both, to maximize the fitness of embryos. Qian Wang et al. also provide solid simulation studies and real data analysis to validate the correctness of their epiGame framework. The importance of embryo development and fertility mechanism cannot be overemphasized, hence, I think that the present review by Qian Wang et al. will stand as a useful modeling guide for practicing biologists or researchers in fertility health to quantify how sperms and oocytes interact through epigenetic process to determine embryo development. In addition, it will serve as a source of many important references to work in the reproductive biology field.

A Game-Theoretical Model to Improve Process Plant Protection from Terrorist Attacks.

PubMed

Zhang, Laobing; Reniers, Genserik

2016-12-01

The New York City 9/11 terrorist attacks urged people from academia as well as from industry to pay more attention to operational security research. The required focus in this type of research is human intention. Unlike safety-related accidents, security-related accidents have a deliberate nature, and one has to face intelligent adversaries with characteristics that traditional probabilistic risk assessment techniques are not capable of dealing with. In recent years, the mathematical tool of game theory, being capable to handle intelligent players, has been used in a variety of ways in terrorism risk assessment. In this article, we analyze the general intrusion detection system in process plants, and propose a game-theoretical model for security management in such plants. Players in our model are assumed to be rational and they play the game with complete information. Both the pure strategy and the mixed strategy solutions are explored and explained. We illustrate our model by an illustrative case, and find that in our case, no pure strategy but, instead, a mixed strategy Nash equilibrium exists. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Naming games in two-dimensional and small-world-connected random geometric networks.

PubMed

Lu, Qiming; Korniss, G; Szymanski, B K

2008-01-01

We investigate a prototypical agent-based model, the naming game, on two-dimensional random geometric networks. The naming game [Baronchelli, J. Stat. Mech.: Theory Exp. (2006) P06014] is a minimal model, employing local communications that captures the emergence of shared communication schemes (languages) in a population of autonomous semiotic agents. Implementing the naming games with local broadcasts on random geometric graphs, serves as a model for agreement dynamics in large-scale, autonomously operating wireless sensor networks. Further, it captures essential features of the scaling properties of the agreement process for spatially embedded autonomous agents. Among the relevant observables capturing the temporal properties of the agreement process, we investigate the cluster-size distribution and the distribution of the agreement times, both exhibiting dynamic scaling. We also present results for the case when a small density of long-range communication links are added on top of the random geometric graph, resulting in a "small-world"-like network and yielding a significantly reduced time to reach global agreement. We construct a finite-size scaling analysis for the agreement times in this case.

Playing With Antidepressants: Perspectives From Indian Australians and Anglo-Australians Living With Depression.

PubMed

Brijnath, Bianca; Antoniades, Josefine

2017-11-01

Patient perspectives were explored on the meaning and experience of antidepressant use by applying Johan Huizinga's theory of play to interviews from Indian Australians and Anglo-Australians diagnosed with depression. Through the analysis, the centrality of Huizinga's "magic circle" emerged, that is, defining the boundaries within which one could safely play. Consumption of antidepressants involved learning, breaking, and modulating rules of the game of adherence, then forging a new "magic circle." In these games, there were playful elements including experimentation, improvisation, absorption, and experiential learning. This application of Huizinga's theory in relation to antidepressant use is a novel approach in the literature on medication non/adherence. This application not only opens a new theoretical line of inquiry but also shows that antidepressant non/adherence is not a static practice but dynamic and changing, revealing critical insights around participant's agency, capabilities, desires, and notions of selfhood with regard to managing their depression and conceptualizing their recovery.

Intensive video gaming improves encoding speed to visual short-term memory in young male adults.

PubMed

Wilms, Inge L; Petersen, Anders; Vangkilde, Signe

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of action video gaming on central elements of visual attention using Bundesen's (1990) Theory of Visual Attention. To examine the cognitive impact of action video gaming, we tested basic functions of visual attention in 42 young male adults. Participants were divided into three groups depending on the amount of time spent playing action video games: non-players (<2h/month, N=12), casual players (4-8h/month, N=10), and experienced players (>15h/month, N=20). All participants were tested in three tasks which tap central functions of visual attention and short-term memory: a test based on the Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), an enumeration test and finally the Attentional Network Test (ANT). The results show that action video gaming does not seem to impact the capacity of visual short-term memory. However, playing action video games does seem to improve the encoding speed of visual information into visual short-term memory and the improvement does seem to depend on the time devoted to gaming. This suggests that intense action video gaming improves basic attentional functioning and that this improvement generalizes into other activities. The implications of these findings for cognitive rehabilitation training are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Social evolution and genetic interactions in the short and long term.

PubMed

Van Cleve, Jeremy

2015-08-01

The evolution of social traits remains one of the most fascinating and feisty topics in evolutionary biology even after half a century of theoretical research. W.D. Hamilton shaped much of the field initially with his 1964 papers that laid out the foundation for understanding the effect of genetic relatedness on the evolution of social behavior. Early theoretical investigations revealed two critical assumptions required for Hamilton's rule to hold in dynamical models: weak selection and additive genetic interactions. However, only recently have analytical approaches from population genetics and evolutionary game theory developed sufficiently so that social evolution can be studied under the joint action of selection, mutation, and genetic drift. We review how these approaches suggest two timescales for evolution under weak mutation: (i) a short-term timescale where evolution occurs between a finite set of alleles, and (ii) a long-term timescale where a continuum of alleles are possible and populations evolve continuously from one monomorphic trait to another. We show how Hamilton's rule emerges from the short-term analysis under additivity and how non-additive genetic interactions can be accounted for more generally. This short-term approach reproduces, synthesizes, and generalizes many previous results including the one-third law from evolutionary game theory and risk dominance from economic game theory. Using the long-term approach, we illustrate how trait evolution can be described with a diffusion equation that is a stochastic analogue of the canonical equation of adaptive dynamics. Peaks in the stationary distribution of the diffusion capture classic notions of convergence stability from evolutionary game theory and generally depend on the additive genetic interactions inherent in Hamilton's rule. Surprisingly, the peaks of the long-term stationary distribution can predict the effects of simple kinds of non-additive interactions. Additionally, the peaks capture both weak and strong effects of social payoffs in a manner difficult to replicate with the short-term approach. Together, the results from the short and long-term approaches suggest both how Hamilton's insight may be robust in unexpected ways and how current analytical approaches can expand our understanding of social evolution far beyond Hamilton's original work. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preschool Children Fail Primate Prosocial Game Because of Attentional Task Demands

PubMed Central

Burkart, Judith Maria; Rueth, Katja

2013-01-01

Various nonhuman primate species have been tested with prosocial games (i.e. derivates from dictator games) in order to better understand the evolutionary origin of proactive prosociality in humans. Results of these efforts are mixed, and it is difficult to disentangle true species differences from methodological artifacts. We tested 2- to 5-year-old children with a costly and a cost-free version of a prosocial game that differ with regard to the payoff distribution and are widely used with nonhuman primates. Simultaneously, we assessed the subjects’ level of Theory of Mind understanding. Prosocial behavior was demonstrated with the prosocial game, and did not increase with more advanced Theory of Mind understanding. However, prosocial behavior could only be detected with the costly version of the game, whereas the children failed the cost-free version that is most commonly used with nonhuman primates. A detailed comparison of the children’s behavior in the two versions of the game indicates that the failure was due to higher attentional demands of the cost-free version, rather than to a lack of prosociality per se. Our results thus show (i) that subtle differences in prosociality tasks can substantially bias the outcome and thus prevent meaningful species comparisons, and (ii) that like in nonhuman primates, prosocial behavior in human children does not require advanced Theory of Mind understanding in the present context. However, both developmental and comparative psychology accumulate increasing evidence for the multidimensionality of prosocial behaviors, suggesting that different forms of prosociality are also regulated differentially. For future efforts to understand the evolutionary origin of prosociality it is thus crucial to take this heterogeneity into account. PMID:23844201

Preschool children fail primate prosocial game because of attentional task demands.

PubMed

Burkart, Judith Maria; Rueth, Katja

2013-01-01

Various nonhuman primate species have been tested with prosocial games (i.e. derivates from dictator games) in order to better understand the evolutionary origin of proactive prosociality in humans. Results of these efforts are mixed, and it is difficult to disentangle true species differences from methodological artifacts. We tested 2- to 5-year-old children with a costly and a cost-free version of a prosocial game that differ with regard to the payoff distribution and are widely used with nonhuman primates. Simultaneously, we assessed the subjects' level of Theory of Mind understanding. Prosocial behavior was demonstrated with the prosocial game, and did not increase with more advanced Theory of Mind understanding. However, prosocial behavior could only be detected with the costly version of the game, whereas the children failed the cost-free version that is most commonly used with nonhuman primates. A detailed comparison of the children's behavior in the two versions of the game indicates that the failure was due to higher attentional demands of the cost-free version, rather than to a lack of prosociality per se. Our results thus show (i) that subtle differences in prosociality tasks can substantially bias the outcome and thus prevent meaningful species comparisons, and (ii) that like in nonhuman primates, prosocial behavior in human children does not require advanced Theory of Mind understanding in the present context. However, both developmental and comparative psychology accumulate increasing evidence for the multidimensionality of prosocial behaviors, suggesting that different forms of prosociality are also regulated differentially. For future efforts to understand the evolutionary origin of prosociality it is thus crucial to take this heterogeneity into account.

Randomness and arbitrary coordination in the reactive ultimatum game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, Roberto; Valverde, Pablo; Lamb, Luis C.

2016-07-01

Darwin's theory of evolution - as introduced in game theory by Maynard Smith - is not the only important evolutionary aspect in an evolutionary dynamics, since complex interdependencies, competition, and growth should be modeled by, for example, reactive aspects. In the ultimatum game, the reciprocity and the fifty-fifty partition seems to be a deviation from rational behavior of the players under the light of Nash equilibrium. Such equilibrium emerges, for example, from the punishment of the responder who generally tends to refuse unfair proposals. In the iterated version of the game, the proposers are able to improve their proposals by adding a value thus making fairer proposals. Such evolutionary aspects are not properly Darwinian-motivated, but they are endowed with a fundamental aspect: they reflect their actions according to value of the offers. Recently, a reactive version of the ultimatum game where acceptance occurs with fixed probability was proposed. In this paper, we aim at exploring this reactive version of the ultimatum game where the acceptance by players depends on the offer. In order to do so, we analyze two situations: (i) mean field and (ii) we consider players inserted within the networks with arbitrary coordination. We then show that the reactive aspect, here studied, thus far not analyzed in the evolutionary game theory literature can unveil an essential feature for the convergence to fifty-fifty split. Moreover we also analyze populations under four different polices ranging from a highly conservative to a moderate one, with respect to the decision in changing the proposal based on acceptances. We show that the idea of gaining less more times added to the reciprocity of the players is highly relevant to the concept of ;healthy; societies population bargaining.