When Forgiveness Backfires: Rejection Sensitivity and Cooperative Behavior Following Exposure to Adaptive Forgiving Agents

Can exposure to forgiving behavior improve cooperative outcomes, and does Rejection Sensitivity (RS) moderate thiseffect? This randomized controlled experiment explores these questions using a novel approach with Hidden MarkovModel (HMM)-based artificial agents in repeated trust games (RTGs). Participants (N = 206), pre-screened for highor low RS, interacted with either consistently behaving or more forgiving co-players, which were in reality HMMagents. Unexpectedly, exposure to forgiving agents led to reduced cooperation in subsequent interactions. Controlgroup participants maintained consistent behavior. RS levels influenced perceptions of the agent’s cooperativeness butdid not significantly affect behavioral outcomes, revealing a perception-behavior dissociation. These findings challengeassumptions about fostering cooperation through simple exposure to positive interactions and highlight the importanceof accounting for negative contrast effects when designing such interventions. They also demonstrate the potential ofHMM-based artificial agents for studying interactive social dynamics, offering a methodological advancement for futureresearch.