Cooperativeness and Competitiveness in Children

Cooperation and competition are both essential elements of economic life. Here we explore how cooperation in a prisoner’s dilemma is correlated with competitiveness in a sample of 9-12 year old children in Colombia and Sweden. Using two different measures and four different tasks for competitiveness, we find no consistent relationship between cooperativeness and competitiveness. However, we find evidence of a negative relationship between willingness to compete in a math task and cooperativeness in the overall sample. Competitiveness in math has previously been related to educational choices. The relationship between cooperation and competitiveness in math might therefore be the most labor market relevant.

Keywords: cooperation, competitiveness, experiment, children

JEL Classification: C91, D03

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Cárdenas, Juan-Camilo and Dreber, Anna and von Essen, Emma and Ranehill, Eva, Cooperativeness and Competitiveness in Children (April 28, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2430286 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2430286