Exposições sobre Comunicação Humana em museus interativos de ciências

PURPOSE: To investigate the existence of exhibitions and displays on topics related to Human Communication in national and international interactive science museums, and analyze the content to determine what are the issues related to Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology discussed in the museums. METHODS: Website analysis of 40 international science and/or technology museums and 20 national museums to identify exhibitions or displays related to the theme "Human Communication". RESULTS: Most of the researched museums have exhibitions or displays related to Human Communication. Among the national museums only four have an entire exhibition related to the topic, and among the international museums, thirteen exhibitions were found. The number of international exhibitions is greater than the number identified in national museums, and the quality of the material also varies. The primarily discussed topic in museums is acoustics, followed by message reception by hearing sense. Most museums do not approach the topics of message production, language, and voice anatomy and physiology. CONCLUSION: Science museums address basic sciences and, for this reason, acoustics is much explored. Many exhibits were found on topics related to Human Communication that allow individuals to learn about how the human body works, arousing curiosity about the subject. Because museums are institutions of science communication and informal education that contribute to the population's scientific literacy, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology can take advantage of these spaces to disseminate research and knowledge about Human Communication.