Activity 1.3.2 How Do We Judge?

Purpose

To show how we make judgments and to reveal competitive motives

Materials

Three small boxes of different sizes: one wrapped in very nice wrapping paper with a bow; another wrapped in plain brown paper; and the third wrapped in newspaper. All boxes contain a note for a $20 value.

Time

1 hr

Method

1. Set the wrapped boxes on a desk/table where everyone can see them. Participants cannot hold or touch the boxes.
2. Hold up one box at a time and ask participants to bid on the box. Tell them that they all contain something of value. Start the bid at one dollar. Note: facilitators can hand out play money for this exercise and ensure that all participants have an equal amount.
3. After the bidding war is over, congratulate the participants on their purchase.
4. Ask participants why they bid on certain boxes. Did the box look valuable? Did they base their bid on their belief that this exercise was a trick? Did they base their bid on the competition with others for a particular box?
5. Reveal what was in each box.
6. Ask participants for their opinion on this type of exercise. How did they feel about all the boxes containing the same value? Why?
7. Inform participants that since they used pretend money to bid on the boxes, they will get what they paid for…a pretend $20 bill.