Chicken
In Rebel without a
Cause James Dean's character must prove his courage by playing a dangerous
game of Chicken. He and his opponent race stolen cars toward each other. Each
driver must choose: to swerve or not to swerve. The first to swerve is labeled
"chicken".
Here's a typical payoff matrix for Chicken
|
Payoffs |
B |
||
|
FALSE |
TRUE |
||
|
A |
FALSE |
0/0 |
5/0 |
|
TRUE |
0/5 |
1/1 |
|
The 0/5 entry in the matrix says that if A chooses to swerve
(swerve = TRUE) and B chooses not to swerve (swerve = FALSE), then A is awarded
0 points and B is awarded 5 points. In other words, A is the chicken and B is
the hero.
We see the game of Chicken being played out in the real
world all the time. Price wars and arms races are examples.