A cognitive neuroscientist wanted to investigate the impact of environmental noise on spatial memory and navigational efficiency in a young adult population, using a sample of 45 undergraduate students.
In the first part of the study, the researcher administered a self-report Spatial Anxiety Scale (SAS) questionnaire to measure participants' subjective anxiety levels during navigation tasks. The maximum possible score was 80. The lowest score in the sample was 18, and the highest score was 74.
In the second part of the study, each participant completed a spatial navigation task within an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment. Wearing a head-mounted display, participants had to navigate a virtual maze to locate a hidden glowing checkpoint. There were 40 trials in total. Across these trials, background acoustic noise was played through headphones at four varying intensities: 50 dB, 65 dB, 80 dB, and 95 dB, with 10 trials at each intensity presented in a randomised order. For each trial, participants were given a strict 15-second time limit to reach the checkpoint using a hand-held analog joystick (forward, backward, left, right). Once the time limit elapsed or the checkpoint was reached, the screen faded to black before the next trial started. The total number of successful checkpoint arrivals in the sample ranged from 4 to 37.
Explain why it would be important for the researcher to carry out a pilot study in relation to the second part of this study.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 689 questions, 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.
