science of sharing investigating cooperation , competition, and social interdependence

Science of SharingInvestigating Cooperation, Competition, and Social Interdependence

Project Goals• Foster experimentation with cooperation, resource allocation, and collaborative problem-solving, and awareness of relevant research

• Generate discussion of links between everyday social interactions and larger issues of resource depletion and group conflict

• Foster metacognitive reflection about decisions

Interpret others’ motives

Share resources…or don’t

Develop trust…or don’t

Collaborate…or not

Judge fairness

15 ExhibitsExplore social dilemmas around resource sharing

4 ExperimonthsTry month-long challenges to learn about yourself

Friend someone…or not Pull your weight…or don’t

Find commonalities Share to gain

10 Classroom ActivitiesExperiment with decision-making about cooperation

Research StudyInvestigate designs for fostering metacognition

Public ForumWill link individual behavior to societal challenges

Formative Evaluation• Exhibits formatively evaluated – small & fast studies

Summative Evaluation• Experimonth evaluation underway• Exhibition evaluation scheduled for Fall 2014

Research• Within subjs quasi-

experiment with 60 dyads• Test label questions and

assess metacognition• Analyzing data now

Evaluation StudiesAssess effectiveness of iterative and final designs

Audiences• Museum public 12+ years old• Facebook users 18+ years old• High school students

Lessons and Challenges• Maintaining sustainable behavior can become boring• Competition and conflict are emotional experiences• “Scaling up” to real world issues requires several steps• Creating social interactions is hard without mediation• Mindful reflection is difficult in a chaotic museum context• Assessing (silent) metacognition is challenging

Advisors and CollaboratorsAthena Aktipis Dacher KeltnerDan Ariely Michael NortonMahzarin Banaji Kristina OlsonJohn Jost Philip Zimbardo

Institutional partnersExploratorium: Hugh McDonald, PI; Josh Gutwill, co-PIMuseum of Life and Science: Troy Livingston, co-PIDialogue Social Enterprise: Orna CohenHeroic Imagination Project: Philip Zimbardo