In this chapter, we argue that game shows can be a useful source of data to study cooperative behavior. The unique combination of well-defined decision problems and large stakes makes game show data complementary to both experimental and field data. Over the past years, a number of TV shows have...

We investigate the credibility of non-binding pre-play statements about cooperative behavior, using data from a high-stakes TV game show in which contestants play a variant on the classic Prisoner's Dilemma. We depart from the conventional binary approach of classifying statements as promises or...

Conditional cooperation is usually investigated in experiments where the choices of others are known. In many circumstances, however, there is uncertainty about others’ cooperativeness. Using a novel experimental protocol, we manipulate the perceived likelihood of cooperation in a Prisoner's...