Strategic sophistication of adolescents: Evidence from experimental normal-form games

Arbeitspapier

We examine the strategic sophistication of adolescents, aged 10 to 17 years, in experimental normal-form games. Besides making choices, subjects have to state their first- and second-order beliefs. We find that choices are more often a best reply to beliefs if any player has a dominant strategy and equilibrium payoffs are not too unequal. Using a mixture model we can estimate for each subject the probability to be any of eight different strategic and non-strategic types. The econometric estimation reveals that older subjects are more likely to eliminate dominated strategies, and that subjects with good math grades are more strategic.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 5049

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Noncooperative Games ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual
• Subject: Strategic thinking ; beliefs ; experiment ; age ; adolescents ; Jugendliche ; Normalformspiel ; Spieltheorie ; Entscheidung ; Gruppenentscheidung ; Test ; Schweden

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Czermak, Simon ; Feri, Francesco ; Rützler, Daniela ; Sutter, Matthias
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2010

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/44219
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET