Mabini, Jea Angeline B.

BSA16

Prisoner’s Dilemma is a game theory wherein two individuals is placed in a situation in

which deciding to choose a decision that will satisfy their personal interest will not be the best
option. This means cooperation will be their best choice as it will give them better gains. To
explain this, let us assume a simple situation.
Student A and student B are both accountancy students in De La Salle University
Dasmariñas. The two students were suspects involved in the leaking of the major exam in Tax
Accounting. The two students were both summoned in the Accountancy department (ACD)
office and was placed into separate rooms. With both staying silent, the dean entered the room
where student A is, and said “Student B is already confessing. With that, he will only be given
one-week suspension, and because you are remaining silent, we will give you a failing grade in
Tax Accounting (final grade). So why don’t you confess too, so we can both give you a chance
and will only give a failing grade, not in your final grade, but only in the exam that was leaked.”
But in the other room, a professor is saying the same speech that the dean said. What the dean
and professor do not say is, if both students remain silent, both will only be given two-week
suspension because the evidence against them is not strong. Now, the students are facing
“dilemma”.

To understand this, consider the choices from student A’s point of view:
 If student A believes that student B will confess, then A will also choose to
confess as not to get a final failing grade and for both of them to have a failing
grade only in the exam.
 If student A believes that student B will remain silent, student A will be tempted
to act selfishly and confess, so as he can only have a one-week suspension.
 Student B’s point of view:
 If student B believes that student A will confess, then B will also choose to
confess as not to get a final failing grade and for both of them to have a failing
grade only in the exam.
 If student B believes student A remains silent, student B will be tempted to act
selfishly and confess, so as he can only have a one-week suspension.
The thing in here is, since the professor and the dean did not say that if both of them
remains silent, both will only be given a two-week suspension. Both students will be clueless
about this option, that we can assume as the best option because no one will have a failing grade.
Moreover, student A will choose to confess no matter what choice student B will make,
since to confess will give him incentives. On the other hand, student B faces the same set of
choices, and hence will also choose to confess regardless of what student A’s choice will be,
because both of the choices will benefit him. Moreover, we can say that “to confess” is the
dominant strategy or the strategy that both students will choose regardless of what other’s choice
will be. The result is, if both students choose to confess, both will have a failing grade in the
exam that was leaked in the subject Tax Accounting.
Student A

Here is a table to show the options,

Student B
Confess
Remain Silent
(do not
(cooperate with cooperate with
other student) other student)

Remain Silent A gets a failing

A gets a two- grade (final
(cooperate with
week suspension, grade), B gets
other student) B gets two-week one-week
suspension suspension

Confess
A gets one-week A gets a failing
(do not suspension, B grade, B gets two-
cooperate with gets a failing a failing grade
other student)
grade (final
(only in the exam)
grade)

The game is called dilemma because if both students had cooperated by both choosing to
remain silent, they would only have a two-week suspension, which in fact is their best choice.
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