FISH 3: A microworld for studying social dilemmas and resource management

A Java-based microworld environment for studying resource management is des cribed. FISH 3 may be used in research or the classroom to investigate comm ons dilemmas and resource dilemmas. The program uses ocean fishing as its m etaphor; participants ("fishers") experience the metaphor through both grap hics ("fish" may be seen in an ocean) and text (e.g., resource replenishmen t is translated as "spawning"). In either stand-alone or networked modes, e ither with all human fishers or a mixture of human and computer fishers, 15 parameters such as the number of resource units (fish), participants (fish ers), and trials (seasons), payoff values, the rate and period of resource regeneration (spawning), harvesting greed by computer fishers, awareness of other harvesters' actions, uncertainty in the amount of the resource, oper ating costs, and whether the resource is visible to harvesters may be varie d.