By this definition any statement that sets any conditions whatsoever in the Ultimatum Game is a threat. Or indeed any statement setting conditions under which you might withdraw from otherwise mutually beneficial trade.
I think, if there is any way to interpret any such statements as not being a threat, it would be of the form “I have already made my precommitments; I’ve already altered my brain so that I assign lower payoffs (due to psychological pain or whatever) to the outcomes where I fail to carry out my threat. I’m not making a new strategic move; I’m informing you of a past strategic move.” One could argue that the game is no longer the Ultimatum Game, due to the payoffs not being what they are in the Ultimatum Game.
Of course, both sides would like to do this, and to be “first” to do it. An extreme person in this vein could say “I’ve altered my brain so that I will reject anything less than 9-1 in my favor”, and this could even be true. Two such people would be guaranteed to have a bad time if they ran into one another, and a fairly bad time if they met a dath ilani; but one could choose to be such a person.
If both sides do set up their psychology well in advance of encountering the game, then the strategic moves are effectively made simultaneously. One can then think about the game of “making your strategic move”.
By this definition any statement that sets any conditions whatsoever in the Ultimatum Game is a threat. Or indeed any statement setting conditions under which you might withdraw from otherwise mutually beneficial trade.
This is true.
I think, if there is any way to interpret any such statements as not being a threat, it would be of the form “I have already made my precommitments; I’ve already altered my brain so that I assign lower payoffs (due to psychological pain or whatever) to the outcomes where I fail to carry out my threat. I’m not making a new strategic move; I’m informing you of a past strategic move.” One could argue that the game is no longer the Ultimatum Game, due to the payoffs not being what they are in the Ultimatum Game.
Of course, both sides would like to do this, and to be “first” to do it. An extreme person in this vein could say “I’ve altered my brain so that I will reject anything less than 9-1 in my favor”, and this could even be true. Two such people would be guaranteed to have a bad time if they ran into one another, and a fairly bad time if they met a dath ilani; but one could choose to be such a person.
If both sides do set up their psychology well in advance of encountering the game, then the strategic moves are effectively made simultaneously. One can then think about the game of “making your strategic move”.