The effect of westernization on cooperative behaviour in Central Africa

The traditional ethos of Central African societies emphasises cooperation and sharing. In a Prisoner's Dilemma game, traditional Tonga men and women in Zambia played more cooperatively than westernized Tonga people and Asian students. Their greater cooperativeness showed most clearly in their tendency to make a cooperative response even after their partner had defected, whereas other groups tended to meet defection with defection.