Kun Zhao - Who's prosocial? Using personality psychology to explore sources of heterogeneity in economic games

This week's Brown Bag will be given by Kun Zhao,  Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne

The seminar will take place from 1pm to 2pm in A39 Sir Clive Granger Building (lunch provided).  Please note the change of venue due to exams. 

Title: Who’s prosocial?  Using personality psychology to explore sources of heterogeneity in economic games

Abstract: A large body of literature has pointed to the heterogeneity in social preferences and prosocial behaviour in economic decision making paradigms, which might be partly explained by personality traits. Using the Big Five (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Openness/Intellect) and HEXACO (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience) models, I will first present a review of the literature on personality and prosociality in well-known economic games. This reveals an emerging role for Big Five Agreeableness and HEXACO Honesty-Humility in cooperative and egalitarian behaviours. Focusing on the domain of Agreeableness, I will examine the divergence between its two underlying aspects—Politeness and Compassion—in the distribution of scarce resources and third-party punishment. Finally, I will discuss some major considerations and future directions involving the study of personality in economic games.