An environmental psychologist wants to investigate whether experiencing a virtual reality (VR) forest walk reduces physiological and psychological stress in office workers during a 15-minute lunch break, compared to a standard audio-only mindfulness recording. The researcher plans to measure physiological stress via salivary cortisol levels (collected pre- and post-session) and self-reported stress using a newly developed 15-item visual analogue questionnaire.
Explain why it would be appropriate for the researcher to conduct a pilot study before carrying out this experiment.
689 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.