Test the Principle of Maximum Entropy in Constant Sum 2x2 Game:Evidence in Experimental Economics

TL;DR

This paper empirically tests whether human decision-making in two-player constant sum 2x2 games aligns with the principle of maximum entropy, revealing that humans tend to maximize uncertainty in strategic choices.

Contribution

First empirical validation of the maximum entropy principle in social strategic decision-making within experimental economics.

Findings

Human strategies in 2x2 games follow maximum entropy distribution.

Evidence supports the universality of MaxEnt in social systems.

Decision uncertainty aligns with entropy maximization in competitive environments.

Abstract

Entropy serves as a central observable which indicates uncertainty in many chemical, thermodynamical, biological and ecological systems, and the principle of the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) is widely supported in natural science. Recently, entropy is employed to describe the social system in which human subjects are interacted with each other, but the principle of the maximum entropy has never been reported from this field empirically. By using laboratory experimental data, we test the uncertainty of strategy type in various competing environments with two person constant sum $2 \times 2$ game. Empirical evidence shows that, in this competing game environment, the outcome of human's decision-making obeys the principle of maximum entropy.