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A Parallel Universe: Psychological Science in the Language of Game Design

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Gamification in Education and Business

Abstract

This chapter uses the evolving language of game design to demonstrate how psychological science provides a foundation for game-based learning. Section 1. Provides a brief review of the history of games in the psychological literature. Section 2. Describes how the scientific principles of behaviorism connect to the language of games and Section 3. Performs the same task with regard to cognitive psychology. Section 4. Warns the game community about psychological hazards that can create trouble for individuals and organizations trying to realize the promise of gamification. Section 5. Summarizes a research agenda for psychology.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, NJ, 07470, USA

    Thomas E. Heinzen & Michael S. Gordon

  2. Department of Pshychology, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-1715, USA

    R. Eric Landrum

  3. Human Development and Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI, USA

    Regan A. R. Gurung

  4. Department of Psychology, Moravian College, Room 231, Hurd Academic Complex, 1200 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA, 18018-6650, USA

    Dana S. Dunn

  5. User Experience Strategist, New York, USA

    Sam Richman

Authors
  1. Thomas E. Heinzen
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  2. Michael S. Gordon
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  3. R. Eric Landrum
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  4. Regan A. R. Gurung
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  5. Dana S. Dunn
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  6. Sam Richman
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Correspondence to Thomas E. Heinzen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information Systems, Curtin University, Bentley, West Australia, Australia

    Torsten Reiners

  2. Dept. of Business Information Systems, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Lincoln C. Wood

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Heinzen, T.E., Gordon, M.S., Landrum, R.E., Gurung, R.A.R., Dunn, D.S., Richman, S. (2015). A Parallel Universe: Psychological Science in the Language of Game Design. In: Reiners, T., Wood, L. (eds) Gamification in Education and Business. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10208-5_7

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