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(2013) Synthese 190 (8).
You better play 7
mutual versus common knowledge of advice in a weak-link experiment
Giovanna Devetag, Hykel Hosni , Giacomo Sillari
pp. 1351-1381
This paper presents the results of an experiment on mutual versus common knowledge of advice in a two-player weak-link game with random matching. Our experimental subjects play in pairs for thirteen rounds. After a brief learning phase common to all treatments, we vary the knowledge levels associated with external advice given in the form of a suggestion to pick the strategy supporting the payoff-dominant equilibrium. Our results are somewhat surprising and can be summarized as follows: in all our treatments both the choice of the efficiency-inducing action and the percentage of efficient equilibrium play are higher with respect to the control treatment, revealing that even a condition as weak as mutual knowledge of level 1 is sufficient to significantly increase the salience of the efficient equilibrium with respect to the absence of advice. Furthermore, and contrary to our hypothesis, mutual knowledge of level 2 induces, under suitable conditions, successful coordination more frequently than common knowledge.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/s11229-012-0177-9
Full citation:
Devetag, G. , Hosni, H. , Sillari, G. (2013). You better play 7: mutual versus common knowledge of advice in a weak-link experiment. Synthese 190 (8), pp. 1351-1381.
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