The Effect of a Guided Imagery Suggestion-based Intervention on Human Cooperation in the Stag Hunt Game

The “Stag Hunt” game is frequently used to tease out factors which may influence cooperation, a fundamental building block of human society. The present study is an attempt to influence human cooperation by means of positive audio-based guided mental imagery in the context of the Stag Hunt game. Participants listened to one of two audio files designed to encourage them to trust others or encourage them to trust themselves, and then played 40 rounds of the Stag Hunt game post-intervention. The total number of times the participant played stag versus hare across trials was analyzed. The results revealed that the audio manipulation influenced cooperation in the Stag Hunt game such that participants chose the more cooperative option more often when encouraged to trust others than when encouraged to trust themselves.