Thursday afternoon Middle School Eagles hosted parents, aspiring Acton Academy owners and visitors for the MS Behavioral Economics Exhibition.

In the first two weeks of Session One, Eagles formed their tribe, signed contracts, delivered created Hero Boards, wrote a Hero’s Essay and created music videos to celebrate the question: Does the past determine the future?

For the last three weeks, Eagles have worked on Behavioral Economics experiments, from “The Winner’s Curse;” “Sunk Cost Fallacy;” and “The Endowment Effect,” exploring questions like:

• Do most people make rational decisions when it comes to money?

• More importantly, do you make rational decisions when it comes to money, and if not, should you?
• Are there reliable experiments to help decide when to ‘trust your gut’ and when to slow down and apply rational thinking, experiments that will lead to more happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment?

On Thursday, guests toured over Behavioral Economics experiments performed by Eagles.    One guest bested the Wisdom of the Crowds, walking away with a giant glass jar of coins; another irrationally bid $26 trying to win a $20 bill at auction.

At the end of the session, Eagles and guests shared “lessons learned,” debating whether allowing markets to work during a hurricane was moral or not.

Do rational decisions or human emotions determine the future?  Our middle school Eagles know it’s a question we’ll all be debating for some time.