An Indirect-Evolution Approad to Newcomb's Problem
Max Albert and
Ronald A. Heiner
Additional contact information
Ronald A. Heiner: James Buchanan Center for Political Economy, George Mason University, Fairfax/VA, USA
Homo Oeconomicus, 2003, vol. 20, 161-194
Abstract:
Players from two populations, predictors and predictees, are randomly matched in a game-theoretic version of Newcomb's Problem. Predictors are able to predict the predictees' choices by observing their type. There are two types of predictees, those who take their predictability into account by using the Backtraining Principle when calculating expected utilities, and those who ignore their predictability by using the Disconnection Principle. Backtrackers are one-boxers, the others are two-boxers. Given predictability, evolution favors the Backtracking Principle. An explicit causal analysis proves that this result does not rest on unusual causal assumptions.
Date: 2003
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)
There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hom:homoec:v:20:y:2003:p:161-194
Access Statistics for this article
More articles in Homo Oeconomicus from Institute of SocioEconomics Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().