Key Terms

Match each of the terms on the left with its definition on the right. Click on the term first and then click on the matching definition. As you match them correctly they will move to the bottom of the activity.

Question

game theory
strategic decision
simultaneous game
repeated games
sequential game
player
strategy
payoff
optimal strategy
dominant strategy
dominated strategy
payoff matrix
normal form
pure strategy
mixed strategy
maximin strategy
backward induction
grim trigger strategy or grim reaper strategy
tit-for-tat
sequential games
extensive form or decision tree
strategic move
side payment
noncredible threat
credible commitment
A choice or a restriction of choices that guarantees a player will take a particular future action if certain conditions occur.
Representation of a sequential game that shows both the choice and timing of players’ actions.
A strategy in which the player minimizes her exposure to loss.
A strategy in which the player randomizes her actions.
A type of bribe that influences the outcome of a strategic game.
An action made based on the anticipation of others’ actions.
The outcome a player receives from playing the game.
The common organization of an economic game into its players, strategies, and the payoffs in a payoff matrix.
The action that has the highest expected payoff.
The plan of action that a player takes in an economic game.
A threat made in a game that is not rational for the player to follow through on and, as such, is an empty threat.
The study of strategic interactions among two or more economic actors.
A losing strategy for a player, regardless of her opponents’ strategies.
An action taken early in a game that favorably influences the ultimate outcome of the game.
A series of simultaneous games among the same set of economic actors.
Games where one player moves first and other players observe this action before making their decisions.
The process of solving a multistep game by first solving the last step and then working backward.
A table that lists the players, strategies, and payoffs of an economic game.
A game in which players take consecutive turns.
A strategy in which the player chooses a particular action with certainty.
A participant in an economic game who must decide on actions based on the actions of others.
A strategy in which the player mimics her opponent’s prior-period action in each round; for example, the player cheats when her opponent cheated in the preceding round and cooperates when her opponent cooperated in the previous round.
A winning strategy for a player, regardless of her opponents’ strategies.
A strategy in which cooperative play ends permanently when one player cheats.
A game in which participants choose their actions simultaneously without knowing their opponents’ strategies.