The impact of rational and experiential thinking styles on resource allocation in human - Computer fighting games

Abstract

Given the importance of resource allocation strategies in various competitive situations, especially in human-computer competitions ranging from personal activities to business planning, the present studies tested how personal cognitive traits (i.e., thinking styles) were associated with resource allocation in both human-human (Study 4) and human-computer (Studies 1, 2, and 3) competitions. Four different fighting games were used and resource allocation was analyzed from three aspects: strategy, risk-taking, and concentration on focal information. It was found that individuals with rational thinking styles were more adaptive to competitive situations by flexibly using more strategic resource allocation plans, being less risky, and focusing more on focal information than those with experiential thinking styles. These findings not only theoretically fill gaps in understanding how stable personal traits relate to resource allocation behaviors, but also provide practice references for opponent modeling in AI system design.