Self-Benefit and Others’ Benefit in Cooperative Behavior in Shared Space

Abstract

Objective The objective is to clarify the nature of cooperative moving behavior that realizes smooth traffic with others from the viewpoint of the trade-off between self-benefit and others’ benefit in the shared space. Background The shared space is not constrained by formal rules or behavioral norms, and is a potentially ambiguous situation where it is not clear who has priority. Therefore, the nature of cooperative behavior in the shared space is unclear. Method An experimental task was conducted to compare cooperative and nonurgent moving behavior regarding completion time (self-benefit), the amount of interruption (others’ benefit), and the amount of operation (cognitive effort). Results First, cooperative behavior benefits others. Second, although cooperative behavior decreases self-benefit compared to the baseline without any instructions, it can obtain relatively more self-benefit than nonurgent behavior without considering self-benefit. Third, cooperative behavior requires cognitive effort. Conclusion Cooperative behavior provides benefit to both oneself and others by spending cognitive effort in not interrupting others. Application If the nature of the cooperative behavior can be clarified, a cooperative module can be implemented into the algorithms of various mobilities.