Hachioji CampusOur university's Department of Psychology cooperated with the National Museum of Nature and Science's special exhibition "Birds"

The "Skinner Box" experimental device managed by Department of Psychology, Faculty of Faculty of Liberal Arts, Teikyo University, has been exhibited at the special exhibition "Birds" held at the National Museum of Nature and Science (Taito-ku, Tokyo) from Saturday, November 2, 2024. This is the first bird-themed exhibition at the National Museum of Nature and Science, and displays many valuable bird specimens, not only introducing the origins and evolutionary process of birds, but also providing a new perspective focusing on the mechanisms of behavior and learning.

This exhibition uses stuffed specimens to introduce the origins, evolution, and diversity of birds based on the latest systematic classification, and focuses on characteristic ecology such as migration, brood parasitism, breeding, and feeding methods, allowing visitors to gain a detailed understanding of bird diversity.
In particular, this exhibition focuses not only on the classification and morphology of birds, but also on the mechanisms of their behavior and cognition. This project was made possible through the enthusiasm of the museum staff, as well as the cooperation of Professor Taichi Kusayama and Associate Professor Masakiyo Wakita of the same department Department of Psychology at our university. The Skinner box provided by our university is a device that allows pigeons to indicate their judgment, whether it is Yes or No, by pressing a button. This mechanism can be said to be a psychological experiment tool that allows us to touch the minds of animals, just like the "translation konnyaku" and "animal language headphones" that appear in Doraemon. In fact, experiments using this device have revealed that pigeons have the ability to distinguish between paintings by Picasso and Monet.

We hope that this exhibition will not only let more people know about the diversity and charm of birds, but also provide a valuable opportunity to introduce the fun of psychological experiments. This exhibition will be held until Monday, February 24, 2025, so please come and see it at the venue.

For more information on the National Museum of Nature and Science's special exhibition "Birds," click here
For more information about Faculty of Liberal Arts Department of Psychology of Letters, click here
For more information on the National Museum of Nature and Science and University Partnership, click here

(Photo: Masakiyo Wakita)

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