The Behavioral Economics and Cooperation Team is focused on understanding the development
of trust, fairness, reciprocity, and other dimensions of human cooperation. This group
is particularly interested in understanding how these behaviors differ in individuals
affected by mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, and personality
disorders. In addition to more traditional questionnaire methods of assessment, Behavioral
Economic games (e.g., the Prisoners Dilemma) are often used by this team to assess
different aspects of cooperation. The goals for this group include understanding the
development of different cooperative strategies used by people, determining the optimal
strategies for interacting in different groups, and developing assessment and intervention
tools to help individuals with cooperative deficits become more functional in social
groups.
