Behavioral Experiments on Decision Horizons in Conflict Analysis Theory Education

This study employs behavioral experiments to develop effective teaching methods for stability theory within the graph model for conflict resolution. The approach enhances participants' understanding of interactive processes in conflict games, strengthens their cognitive capacity for multi-step decision horizons, and improves learning outcomes. A behavioral experiment was designed in which the four basic stabilities of the graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR) were incorporated into experimental teaching. Using two classic cases of conflict games as examples, an interactive behavioral decision-making simulation environment was constructed. In this virtual setting, participants simulated conflict-related strategic decision-making processes to better understand the theoretical meanings of the four basic stability behaviors, decision horizons, and rational decision-making in conflict games. The experiment was divided into two parts. The first part of the experiment required participants to assume the roles of government and enterprise, respectively, and engage in multiple rounds of gameplay, focusing on strengthening their understanding of the four basic stability concepts and the notion of decision horizons, and analyzing the evolutionary patterns of decision horizons with increasing rounds. The second part required participants to simulate a price war game between enterprises, emphasizing the enhancement of their cognitive understanding of rational and irrational decision-making behaviors in conflict games. The experimental results demonstrated that participants' decision horizons were broadened through decision-making behavior simulations, enabling them to handle complex conflict situations more rationally. The behavioral experiment designed in this study provides an innovative pedagogy for teaching conflict analysis and thus holds significant educational implications and practical value.