Effects of different computer-mediated social interaction topographies on cooperation in a Public Goods Game

Abstract

This study verified the influence of different modalities of computer-mediated social
interaction on cooperation in a Public Goods Game (PGG). Divided into five groups, 20
university students participated in the virtual collection anonymously on Google Meet and on
the oTree platform. In each trial, the participants (1) solved simple mathematical operations,
produced 20 dummy points and could interact from the signaled communication topography
for 2 min; and (2) they could individually contribute amounts between zero and 20 points
to an investment fund. The sum of individual contributions produced the image of one of
the four structures that make up a fictitious school (i.e., public good) from the intervals of
group contributions. Each condition consisted of 10 trials. The points accumulated by each
participant at the end of their participation were multiplied by 0.02 and converted into cash.
In a single-subject reversal design, the experimental conditions, represented by the five types
of communication (i.e., isolated, text message chat, audio, video, audio, and video), were presented
in two sequences: ABCDEA and ABDECA. Overall, rates of cooperation (i.e., group
contributions and school building) increased gradually under conditions with communication,
especially face-to-face communication (i.e., video and audio). The results did not make
it possible to identify and rank communication topographies more efficiently, which indicates
the major role of gradual and sequential exposure to experimental tasks.