“Miner Troubles”: a Gamified Matching-to-Sample

Abstract

Gamification is a powerful technique for improving engagement and learning, which has been applied in many contexts, including education. In behavior analysis, a procedure that has also driven several applications in educational settings is Matching-to-Sample, especially in the context of the Stimulus Equivalence paradigm. Considering the potential benefits of the interaction between both fields, this study describes a gamified Matching-to-Sample software called “Miner Troubles” (MTs). The program shares the same characteristics of the traditional MTS, but adapted to provide a game-like experience, which was defined based on conventional gamification elements. The software serves as an example of a possible interaction between concepts from behavior analysis and gamification and discusses how it can be further developed and evaluated.