chicken game
a type of laboratory game used in experimental investigations of bargaining and competition, in which each party in the interaction can win only by selecting the competitive rather than the cooperative alternative. For example, if two cars traveling in opposite directions are stopped at a narrow intersection without traffic lights and both drivers are in a hurry, each motorist may want to start first across the intersection, pursuing his or her own interest (i.e., choosing the competitive alternative) and hoping that the other will give way (i.e., will adopt the more cooperative strategy). The danger is that if both parties choose the competitive strategy, both lose. This game differs from the prisoner’s dilemma, in which both parties have incentives both to cooperate and compete with their partner. See also game theory.