CoCollectors: An iPad game for developmental research on action understanding, partner choice, and cooperative behavior

CoCollectors is a foraging game for studying how children select partners for collaboration in situations (i) where the behavioral traits of potential partners are not described verbally to them but could be inferred from observations, and (ii) where the choice of a partner could di- rectly inGluence children’s success. In the game, colorful characters (“kobos”) collect berries, and one of them can act as the avatar of, and is controlled by, the player. The kobos can collaborate with each other by helping their partner or by working on common resources together. The game is customizable by the researcher, who can specify the behavioral characteristics of the kobos, such as speed and helpfulness, as well as the resources available for them. In different rounds, the players (1) can observe kobos collecting berries, (2) can choose partner kobos for themselves, and (3) can collaborate with their partners as much as they wish. The game records the players’ behavior for later analysis. The game is implemented as an iPad app and is freely available for researchers.