A psychologist investigated how gating mechanisms affect initial interactions. Group X interacted via an anonymous online forum (absence of gating), while Group Y met face-to-face in a structured seminar (presence of gating). At the end of the first interaction, participants completed a standardized questionnaire assessing their level of subjective social anxiety, scored from 10 (extremely relaxed) to 90 (extremely anxious).
| Group X (Online forum - absence of gating) | Group Y (Face-to-face - presence of gating) | |
|---|---|---|
| Median social anxiety score | 28 | 63 |
What conclusion could the researcher draw from the results in Table 2? Justify your answer.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Relationships with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 70 questions covering Factors affecting attraction, Theories of romantic relationships, Online relationships, and Parasocial relationships, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.