Dog Island
Hello!
You are probably here because you participated in the “Dog Island” study. Thank you for contributing to our research. On this page you can find more information about the study. Feel free to have a look around. 🐾
How cute puppies help us learn about mental health
Why was I asked to play this game?
To understand why some people behave in certain ways we sometimes have to get a little creative. Games are a fun way to observe people’s behaviour. They can help us understand why certain groups of people might make different choices in certain (and uncertain) situations.
What are we researching?
In this study, we are interested in how people respond to threatening or stressful situations, like for example, getting bitten by a dog. We want to understand how experiencing a threatening event might influence your reactions in similar situations. Would you feel uneasy around other dogs, even if they hadn’t bitten you? Would you try to avoid them? In short, we’re exploring how experiences can shape expectations and behavior in new but related situations.
How can the game help us to study these behaviours?
In the dog game, players learn about threatening storms in the ocean. Your mission is to navigate your boat safely to an island and rescue the dogs, all while avoiding the storms. As you play, you’ll rate how risky you think different spots are, helping us understand how you predict the spread of the storm. Your navigation data gives us insights into avoidance behaviour. 
What about the questionnaires?
Past research suggests that people who feel more anxious often “carry over” bad experiences to new but similar situations.This is often not very convenient as it can lead us to avoid things and miss out on new experiences. In the game, we ask questions regarding mental health symptoms using common screening questionnaires. We use this information to look for associations between mental health and generalisation and avoidance behaviour.
What is next? 🎉 We have completed data collection.
🔥 We are currently analysing the data!
✏️ We have written up the results. A link to the preprint will soon be available here.
Come back for updates and results. If in the meantime you have any questions or want to say hello, feel free to reach out on Prolific.
