Children's heterogeneity in cooperation and parental background: An experimental study

We study the determinants of cooperation by letting children, aged 4–5, and their parents play an experimental prisoner's dilemma game. We examine whether children's cooperation depends on symmetric payoffs of mutual cooperation and how it is related to parental socioeconomic background and parents’ own cooperation behavior. We find that asymmetric payoffs do not hinder cooperation. Children cooperate more often when parents have higher education. Parents’ and children's cooperation rates are positively aligned. Children of parents with lower education have miscalibrated beliefs about others’ cooperation. Overall, our findings support the notion of a socioeconomic gradient of prosociality.