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Exhibits

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Social Science

Survival Game
Survival Game

Players struggle to keep their livestock herds alive and thriving—despite disease, drought, and other dangers. When your neighbor suffers a major loss, the question arises: Can you afford to share? But the real question may be, can you afford not to?

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

A Sip of Conflict
A Sip of Conflict

Would you, could you, will you drink from a water fountain fashioned from an actual—but unused—toilet? Porcelain is just porcelain . . . right? 

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Career Criminal
Career Criminal

Do you trust your partner in crime?

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Collaborative Shapes
Collaborative Shapes

Work together to make a shape–with your eyes closed.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Color Conflicts
Color Conflicts

When can reading get in the way of speaking?

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Freeloader
Freeloader

Your dilemma: Play for yourself—or for the group?

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Human Phenomena Explainer Station
Human Phenomena Explainer Station

Explainers do social interaction demonstrations.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Making Meaning
Making Meaning

Discuss your interpretations of these words and images.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Mood Lighting
Mood Lighting

Sit down in a cozy chair and bathe your brain in a bubble of color of your choosing, dialing up anything from amber to violet. As you spend a few moments with each color, you may feel a shift in your own emotional hue.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

 Pulling Together
Pulling Together

Do you work your hardest when you’re working with others? Does it make a difference if other people can see how hard you’re working? Grab a rope, get ready to pull, and experience the phenomenon of social loafing firsthand.

Where:   Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits

Red Phone
Red Phone

Want to see what's inside? You'll need help!

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Red/Blue
Red/Blue

Even randomly formed groups can generate instant rivalries.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Sharing Faces
Sharing Faces

Sit down at this new-media exhibit and you'll see someone else's face looking back at you. When you move around or make a face, your movements and expressions are matched by images of countless others who have done the same thing. 

Where:   Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits

Sip or Squirt
Sip or Squirt

This two-person drinking fountain was inspired by the Prisoner's Dilemma, a famous paradox of game theory: Do you choose to sacrifice your companion—and to some degree yourself—rather than risk being a trusting chump? 

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Sort and Switch
Sort and Switch

See how fast you can assign words to categories–then switch sides and try it again. Do you notice a difference?

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Startle Response
Startle Response

Watch surprise spread across your face.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Survival Game
Survival Game

Players struggle to keep their livestock herds alive and thriving—despite disease, drought, and other dangers. When your neighbor suffers a major loss, the question arises: Can you afford to share? But the real question may be, can you afford not to?

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Team Snake
Team Snake

Work together to stay alive and rack up points.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Text Fish
Text Fish

Manage an ocean ecosystem. Will you help maintain the fish population or just catch as much as you can? Here you’ll get a clear picture of a phenomenon known as the tragedy of the commons—overexploitation of shared resources—and a chance to rethink social strategies after an environmental catastrophe.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Time to Think
Time to Think

At this exhibit, you can test your reaction time in three different scenarios—each requiring an increasing amount of thought. In the process, you can actually measure the time it takes your brain to accomplish the extra work of making a (fast) decision.

Where:   Crossroads: Getting Started

Unseen Stories
Unseen Stories

The people we pass by on the street have stories to tell—and so do we. Slow down your thinking and consider these questions: What do people assume about me based on how I look, talk, dress, or carry myself? What do I assume about others, and what might the real story be?

Where:   Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits

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