The pairing game: A classroom demonstration of the matching phenomenon

This article describes 2 versions of an in-class simulation that allows stu dents to directly experience the matching phenomenon and explore issues con cerning mate selection, social exchange, and related Psychological concepts . Students are randomly assigned a value (either a numerical value or a lis t of adjectives), which they place on their forehead so others can see it b ut the student cannot. The goal is to pair off with another student with as high a value as possible. The simulation, called the Pairing Game, illustr ates how matching on similarity can occur, even in the absence of knowledge of one's own value and merely by seeking the highest value possible in a p artner. Students in Development Psychology courses responded favorably to t he simulation on an anonymous survey.