Data from: The narrow gap between norms and cooperative behaviour in a reindeer herding community

Cooperation evolves on social networks and is shaped, in part, by norms:
beliefs and expectations about the behaviour of others or of oneself.
Networks of cooperative social partners and associated norms are vital for
pastoralists, such as Saami reindeer herders in northern Norway. However,
little is known quantitatively about how norms structure
pastoralists' social networks or shape cooperation. Saami herders
reported their social networks and participated in field experiments,
allowing us to gauge the overlap between reported and emergent
cooperation. We show that individuals' perceptions of reciprocal
cooperation within their social networks exceeded actual reciprocity,
although both occurred frequently and were concentrated within herding
groups. Herders with more extensive cooperation networks received more
rewards in an economic game. Although herders overestimated reciprocal
helping, cooperation in this community was still extensive, suggesting
that perceived norms potentially allow network structures promoting
cooperation to emerge and be maintained.