Motivating Survey Compliance: Game Play Study 1

The recruitment flyers, emails, and postings will invite eligible individuals to participate in a 35-day study about mood, games, and time use for $100. Interested persons will be invited to go to a link to fill out a screening survey. Potential participants will be screened to make sure they are in the appropriate age range and have a smartphone. This will be accomplished via an online survey.

Once a potential participant has been identified, he or she will be directed to digital information about the study that is written in an easily understandable format. This information will include the types of questions that will be asked on a daily basis, information about the pre- and post- surveys, information about payment ($40 for finishing the first 4 of 7 surveys and an additional $60 for finishing the post-study survey), and notification that the participant does not need to fill out any question if it makes him/her uncomfortable. If the individual still wants to participate, they will be instructed to enter the email address of a parent or guardian who can provide consent for them. If the individual is 18 years old or older, they will provide their own consent. Individuals under 18 will read and digitally sign an assent form.

After a participant has consented to participate, he or she will be randomized into one of 3 groups for filling out the daily surveys: paper surveys, digital surveys, or game-motivated digital surveys. The participant will then fill out a pre-study survey about general demographics (age, gender), gaming and time use habits, and complete a couple of quick assessments to determine reading level and arithmetic level. Then participants will provide an email address to receive payment at the end of the study. Participants will be reminded of the payment schedule and then be directed to download the free app that matches his or her randomized group. Note that the paper surveys group will visit a webpage that displays a randomized word that he or she will need to write on the paper survey so that we can approximate when the survey was filled out. In addition, the paper surveys group participants will also be directed to print out their surveys for the study.

After the pre-study survey is complete, participants will receive a daily notification from their downloaded app to remember to fill out their survey for the day for 35 days. Each participant will be asked the following 5 questions each day:

1. What was your mood during the last 24 hours?
2. How many minutes did you spend playing mobile games in the last 24 hours?
3. How many times did you watch ads for in-game rewards in the past 24 hours?
4. How many minutes did you spend outside in the last 24 hours?
5. What has the weather been like in the last 24 hours?