Journal Articles, Peer Reviewed by Joe A Wasserman
Computers in Human Behavior, 2019
Male/female-based stereotypes appear to be widespread, providing a potential barrier to women's p... more Male/female-based stereotypes appear to be widespread, providing a potential barrier to women's participation and success in gaming contexts, such as recreational gaming, competitive eSports, and game-based learning. Differences in the strength of stereotypes associated with different kinds of games, which would have implications for reducing these barriers, are currently unknown. In an online between-participants experiment manipulating the platform (analog tabletop, digital tablet computer, digital desktop computer) of the game Splendor, 105 participants responded to questions asking them to separately rate their perceptions of men's and women's affinity for the game. Confirming extant research on gaming stereotypes, they perceived women as having less of an affinity for this game. While this trend emerged similarly between all platforms of the game depicted, the magnitude of this difference was less when participants had a stronger social group identification with gamers. These perceptions did not depend on social group identification with women. Given the potential for stereotypes to discourage women from gaming and threaten their performance and learning in gaming contexts, as well as the prominent and persistent public interest in gaming, we suggest researchers further examine stereotypes and identity in the study of diverse games, game platforms, and powerful perceptions. Games are increasingly popular as entertainment and for educational applications; nevertheless, negative stereotypes related to games and certain groups of people, particularly women, appear to be widespread (Lien, 2013). These stereotypes have the potential to impair performance (Kaye & Pennington, 2016), impede learning (Rydell et al., 2010), and reduce participation (Cheryan, Ziegler, Montoya, & Jiang, 2017) among those who are negatively stereotyped. Understanding the landscape of these stereotypes and relation to contexts, as well as game and individual characteristics, has utility for ongoing efforts to uncover and ultimately reduce the negative effects of stereotypes. By identifying specific cues that trigger perceptions of stereotypes related to games, this study is a step toward reducing barriers for women's participation, sense of belonging, and success in gaming contexts. We investigated (a) the potential for specific game characteristics-in this case, game platforms-to cue perceptions of different stereotypes and (b) the influence of individual identity differences on perceptions of sex-based stereotypes associated with games.
Journal of Expertise, 2019
This study investigated the development of player skill and cognitive understanding of a game ove... more This study investigated the development of player skill and cognitive understanding of a game over repeated plays to (a) bridge separate research traditions on skill acquisition and games learning and (b) provide deeper insight into the process of developing mental models of games. 325 participants responded to an online questionnaire with questions concerning their experience with the game, Hive, as well as both open-and closed-ended items designed to compare their understanding of the game to an expert's understanding. Open-ended items were content analyzed and modeled as a latent variable. As predicted, both player skill and mental model matching were positively associated with number of plays. Additionally, while player skill had a curvilinear relationship with number of plays that indicated diminishing returns on additional plays, that between cognitive understanding and plays appeared to be linear. The implications of these findings for the cognitive underpinnings of player skill-and for mental model matching theory in particular-are discussed. Supplemental online material is provided here: https://osf.io/3yeg2/
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2014
Objective To describe the activities performed by people involved in clinical decision support (C... more Objective To describe the activities performed by people involved in clinical decision support (CDS) at leading sites. Materials and methods We conducted ethnographic observations at seven diverse sites with a history of excellence in CDS using the Rapid Assessment Process and analyzed the data using a series of card sorts, informed by Linstone's Multiple Perspectives Model. Results We identified 18 activities and grouped them into four areas. Area 1: Fostering relationships across the organization, with activities (a) training and support, (b) visibility/presence on the floor, (c) liaising between people, (d) administration and leadership, (e) project management, (f ) cheerleading/buy-in/sponsorship, (g) preparing for CDS implementation. Area 2: Assembling the system with activities (a) providing technical support, (b) CDS content development, (c) purchasing products from vendors (d) knowledge management, (e) system integration. Area 3: Using CDS to achieve the organization's goals with activities (a) reporting, (b) requirements-gathering/specifications, (c) monitoring CDS, (d) linking CDS to goals, (e) managing data. Area 4: Participation in external policy and standards activities (this area consists of only a single activity). We also identified a set of recommendations associated with these 18 activities. Discussion All 18 activities we identified were performed at all sites, although the way they were organized into roles differed substantially. We consider these activities critical to the success of a CDS program. Conclusions A series of activities are performed by sites strong in CDS, and sites adopting CDS should ensure they incorporate these activities into their efforts.
AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings / AMIA Symposium. AMIA Symposium, Jan 1, 2011
In prior work, using a Rapid Assessment Process (RAP), we have investigated clinical decision sup... more In prior work, using a Rapid Assessment Process (RAP), we have investigated clinical decision support (CDS) in ambulatory clinics and hospitals. We realized that individuals in these settings provide only one perspective related to the CDS landscape, which also includes content vendors and electronic health record (EHR) vendors. To discover content vendors' perspectives and their perceived challenges, we modified RAP for industrial settings. We describe how we employed RAP, and show its utility by describing two illustrative themes. We found that while the content vendors believe they provide unique much-needed services, the amount of labor involved in content development is underestimated by others. We also found that the content vendors believe their products are resources to be used by practitioners, so they are somewhat protected from liability issues. To promote adequate understanding about these issues, we recommend a "three way conversation" among content vendors, EHR vendors, and user organizations.
In prior work, using a Rapid Assessment Process (RAP), we have investigated clinical decision sup... more In prior work, using a Rapid Assessment Process (RAP), we have investigated clinical decision support (CDS) in ambulatory clinics and hospitals. We realized that individuals in these settings provide only one perspective related to the CDS landscape, which also includes content vendors and electronic health record (EHR) vendors. To discover content vendors' perspectives and their perceived challenges, we modified RAP for industrial settings. We describe how we employed RAP, and show its utility by describing two illustrative themes. We found that while the content vendors believe they provide unique much-needed services, the amount of labor involved in content development is underestimated by others. We also found that the content vendors believe their products are resources to be used by practitioners, so they are somewhat protected from liability issues. To promote adequate understanding about these issues, we recommend a " three way conversation " among content vendors, EHR vendors, and user organizations.
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2014
Objective To describe the activities performed by people involved in clinical decision support (C... more Objective To describe the activities performed by people involved in clinical decision support (CDS) at leading sites. Materials and methods We conducted ethnographic observations at seven diverse sites with a history of excellence in CDS using the Rapid Assessment Process and analyzed the data using a series of card sorts, informed by Linstone's Multiple Perspectives Model. Results We identified 18 activities and grouped them into four areas. Area 1: Fostering relationships across the organization, with activities (a) training and support, (b) visibility/presence on the floor, (c) liaising between people, (d) administration and leadership, (e) project management, (f ) cheerleading/buy-in/sponsorship, (g) preparing for CDS implementation. Area 2: Assembling the system with activities (a) providing technical support, (b) CDS content development, (c) purchasing products from vendors (d) knowledge management, (e) system integration. Area 3: Using CDS to achieve the organization's goals with activities (a) reporting, (b) requirements-gathering/specifications, (c) monitoring CDS, (d) linking CDS to goals, (e) managing data. Area 4: Participation in external policy and standards activities (this area consists of only a single activity). We also identified a set of recommendations associated with these 18 activities. Discussion All 18 activities we identified were performed at all sites, although the way they were organized into roles differed substantially. We consider these activities critical to the success of a CDS program. Conclusions A series of activities are performed by sites strong in CDS, and sites adopting CDS should ensure they incorporate these activities into their efforts.
Simulation & Gaming , 2017
Background. Although the effectiveness of game-based learning (GBL) is well-supported, much less ... more Background. Although the effectiveness of game-based learning (GBL) is well-supported, much less is known about the process underlying it. Nevertheless, developing a mental model that matches the game system, which in turn models a real-world system, is a promising proposed process.
Aim. This article explores the first steps in model matching: identifying the entities and (complex) relations in a game system.
Method. Participants (N = 30) played the analog game DOMINION and completed a multi-step mental model mapping exercise. Categories of entities in mental model maps were inductively identified with grounded theory coding, while complex relations in mental model maps were identified via content analysis.
Results. Participants described formal game entities, player actions, sociality, learning processes, and subjective experience in their mental model maps. Participants identified very few complex relations—and no feedback loops—in their mental model maps.
Conclusions. Games—and analog games specifically—provide a breadth of resources for model matching and GBL. Through gameplay, learners come to affix conceptual meanings to material objects, a process dubbed lamination.
Media and Communication, 2018
The primary aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive review and elaboration of model mat... more The primary aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive review and elaboration of model matching and its theoretical propositions. Model matching explains and predicts individuals' outcomes related to gameplay by focusing on the interrelationships among games' systems of mechanics, relevant situations external to the game, and players' mental models. Formalizing model matching theory in this way provides researchers a unified explanation for game-based learning, game performance, and related gameplay outcomes while also providing a theory-based direction for advancing the study of games more broadly. The propositions explicated in this article are intended to serve as the primary tenets of model matching theory. Considerations for how these propositions may be tested in future games studies research are discussed.
Despite the increasing convergence of digital, physical, and immaterial dimensions of game charac... more Despite the increasing convergence of digital, physical, and immaterial dimensions of game characters, little attention has been paid to the role of materiality in how gamers connect with the characters they play. This study evaluated potential differences in character identification and interaction in a gaming context affording various character materialities: the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Multimethod analysis of online survey data (N ¼ 1,135) reveals that character identification and interaction dimensions were invariant across primary character-representation mode (figurine, physical image, digital image, written, and imagined); however, post-hoc analysis suggests that multimaterial assemblages and social factors are key in how character representations are linked to character relations. Following, we argue that game characters may be more appropriately understood as subjective experiences rather than varying according to a given digital or physical manifestation.
Papers by Joe A Wasserman
Games, and boardgames specifically, are an increasingly central part of many individuals’ media d... more Games, and boardgames specifically, are an increasingly central part of many individuals’ media diets. Boardgames also have immense potential as naturalistic laboratories for studying psychological phenomena, providing players opportunities for small-group and interpersonal interactions with social, emotional, and cognitive consequences. Although different boardgaming motivations likely modulate these processes and outcomes, no grounded, validated instrument exists to measure them. This three-study investigation explored gaming motivations of and gratifications enjoyed by boardgamers (Study 1) and drew from this exploration to develop the Boardgaming Motivations Scale (Study 2; N = 1,045). Exploratory structural equation models provided initial evidence of the scale’s validity (Study 2). The scale was further refined, confirmed, and validated with an independent sample of less involved boardgamers (Study 3; N = 652). The diverse pool of motivations for playing boardgames inductively...
Games, and boardgames specifically, are an increasingly central part of many individuals’ media d... more Games, and boardgames specifically, are an increasingly central part of many individuals’ media diets. Boardgames also have immense potential as naturalistic laboratories for studying psychological phenomena, providing players opportunities for small-group and interpersonal interactions with social, emotional, and cognitive consequences. Although different boardgaming motivations likely modulate these processes and outcomes, no grounded, validated instrument exists to measure them. This three-study investigation explored gaming motivations of and gratifications enjoyed by boardgamers (Study 1) and drew from this exploration to develop the Boardgaming Motivations Scale (Study 2; N = 1,045). Exploratory structural equation models provided initial evidence of the scale’s validity (Study 2). The scale was further refined, confirmed, and validated with an independent sample of less involved boardgamers (Study 3; N = 652). The diverse pool of motivations for playing boardgames inductively...
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Journal Articles, Peer Reviewed by Joe A Wasserman
Aim. This article explores the first steps in model matching: identifying the entities and (complex) relations in a game system.
Method. Participants (N = 30) played the analog game DOMINION and completed a multi-step mental model mapping exercise. Categories of entities in mental model maps were inductively identified with grounded theory coding, while complex relations in mental model maps were identified via content analysis.
Results. Participants described formal game entities, player actions, sociality, learning processes, and subjective experience in their mental model maps. Participants identified very few complex relations—and no feedback loops—in their mental model maps.
Conclusions. Games—and analog games specifically—provide a breadth of resources for model matching and GBL. Through gameplay, learners come to affix conceptual meanings to material objects, a process dubbed lamination.
Papers by Joe A Wasserman
Aim. This article explores the first steps in model matching: identifying the entities and (complex) relations in a game system.
Method. Participants (N = 30) played the analog game DOMINION and completed a multi-step mental model mapping exercise. Categories of entities in mental model maps were inductively identified with grounded theory coding, while complex relations in mental model maps were identified via content analysis.
Results. Participants described formal game entities, player actions, sociality, learning processes, and subjective experience in their mental model maps. Participants identified very few complex relations—and no feedback loops—in their mental model maps.
Conclusions. Games—and analog games specifically—provide a breadth of resources for model matching and GBL. Through gameplay, learners come to affix conceptual meanings to material objects, a process dubbed lamination.