Evolutionary game theory

Evolutionary game theory studies how strategic behaviors change in populations through imitation, reproduction, or selection. It explains how interactions and differences in success shape which behaviors persist.

Evolutionarily stable strategy: A strategy that resists invasion by a rare alternative strategy under specified population conditions. It identifies strategies that persist against small numbers of behavioral mutants.
Game theory: The mathematical study of strategic interaction among decision-makers with interdependent outcomes. Evolutionary game theory adapts its payoff-based models without requiring deliberate choice.
Prisoner's dilemma: A two-player game in which individually rational choices can produce a worse outcome for both players. Its cooperative and selfish strategies expose the central problem of cooperation.
Classical game theory: Game-theoretic analysis that commonly models agents as choosing strategies to maximize expected utility. It contrasts deliberate optimization with strategy change through selection or imitation.
Evolution of cooperation: The emergence and persistence of cooperative behavior among organisms or agents. It is a central problem that evolutionary game models are designed to explain.
Replicator equation: A differential equation describing how strategy frequencies change according to their payoffs relative to the population average. It formalizes selection that increases strategies performing better than average.
Nash equilibrium: A strategy profile in which no participant can improve their payoff by changing strategy alone. It supplies an equilibrium concept that evolutionary stability refines.
Hawk–dove game: A game modeling contests in which individuals choose between escalated aggression and display or retreat. It shows how population mixtures can stabilize when fighting is costly.
Replicator dynamics: A family of dynamical systems in which strategy frequencies grow in proportion to relative payoff. Unlike a static equilibrium, it describes a particular route by which populations change.
Social norm: A shared expectation or rule that guides behavior within a group. Norms can spread and persist as strategies subject to social rewards and sanctions.

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