IM COOPERATIVE, BUT YOURE GREEDY - SOME COGNITIVE TENDENCIES IN A COMMONS DILEMMA

This study investigated five classic cognitive tendencies in a commons dilemma. The false consensus effect was apparent among heavy harveste rs. Responsibility for outcomes was seen as more personal than situati onal for both self and others: the fundamental attribution error was s trongly evident, but the reverse of the actor-observer bias was found. Harvesters took more than their proportional share of responsibility for the outcomes, yet they assigned even more responsibility to others . Light harvesters disclaimed responsibility for damaged commons when others harvested heavily; heavy harvesters took considerable responsib ility for poorly managed commons. In sum, cognitive biases and tendenc ies were very evident and, as a whole, tended toward self-servingness, but did not always take their traditional forms.