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Question 155

VR Fitness and Immersion Study

A group of health psychologists investigated the psychological drivers behind the sustained use of virtual reality (VR) fitness applications. They focused on a popular active VR game called "FitQuest".

The researchers recruited 180 participants through an online gaming forum. The sample consisted of 95 males, 80 females, and 5 non-binary individuals, with ages ranging from 18 to 35 (mean age of 24.5). After giving informed consent, participants completed an online questionnaire measuring three psychological variables:

  • Flow State (FS): the psychological state of deep absorption and effortless concentration in the VR activity. Items included statements such as 'When playing FitQuest, I lose track of time'.
  • Perceived Competence (PC): the belief in one's capability to master the virtual physical challenges. Items included statements such as 'I feel highly capable when performing the hard workouts'.
  • Escapism (ES): the use of VR to temporarily avoid real-life worries and stressors. Items included statements such as 'Playing FitQuest helps me forget about my daily responsibilities'.

Statements were scored using a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 'Strongly Disagree (1)' to 'Strongly Agree (7)'. The responses for Flow State, Perceived Competence, and Escapism were averaged for each participant to yield a score from 1 to 7, where a high score indicated higher levels of that psychological state.

The researchers in the VR fitness study used the mean score to analyse the data from their 7-point Likert scale questions.

Explain one weakness of using the mean score to analyse the data in this study.

[2]
Markscheme

Methods Questions

  1. A Level
  2. /Psychology
  3. /Methods

638 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Methods. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.

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