The card game Dobble as a diagnostic tool

This study explores the potential of the card game Dobble in visual search research and as an alternative psychodiagnostic tool. Fifty participants completed three scenarios of Dobble with varying difficulty levels and then took a selection of commonly used psychological tests. Results indicate that the time taken to find a matching image is influenced by the repetition of the searched symbol, and by the size of the searched symbol, the difference of the searched symbol on both cards and the number of colours on both examined cards. Performance in Dobble is related to attention, set-shifting and performance intelligence, particularly in the d2 Test of Attention, Trail Making Test and the Vienna Matrix Test on the scenario-level. However, on the trial level, the greatest effect has subjective expertise and an individual card. These findings suggest that Dobble may offer a promising tool for visual search research and also an alternative to conventional psychodiagnostic assessments, providing a more engaging and time-efficient method for evaluating cognitive abilities.