The Influence of Affect on the Decision-Making Process in Virtual Simulation

ABSTRACT

Games rarely mirror real-life situation – what is more, virtual simulations are often designed as an opened world. Is it possible to predict simple choices regarding movement in virtual environment? The authors decided to test whether it is possible to use affectively laden pictures to influence simple decisions of binomial character. They designed a corridor with a possibility of turning left or right. On the walls of the corridor a different set of affective pictures was presented. Results show that participants not only associated the pictures with the decision about making a turn, but also that it is possible to predict an actual preference of the side. Such results allow to incorporate the predictions regarding affect and choice into simulation development process.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Milosz Lewko for designing the computer simulation used in the study. We would also like to thank Kuba Serek, Kamil Szymanski, and Kamil Wojcik for their help in conducting the study.

Notes

¹ We have chosen the pictures that had the most extreme ratings (both high and low) on dimensions such as valence, approach-avoidance, and arousal. Our experimental design included four conditions with one picture (positive or negative) and four conditions with two pictures (positive and negative or both of the same valence). Every trial was performed four times for one participant. In sum, we needed 24 negative pictures and 24 positive pictures for our study.

² Given that the p-value was close to be statistically significant, we decided to perform additional post-hoc analysis that revealed no differences between any of the conditions.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paweł Tomczak

Paweł Tomczak, MA, is interested in cognitive psychology and games user research. Tomczak’s research is mostly focused on decision-making processes (both in real world and virtual reality). Tomczak is also interested in psychology of motivation and gamification and psychological mechanism that have practical application.

Piotr Zjawiony

Piotr Zjawiony, MA, is interested in practical usage of psychology in business. Zjawiony’s main interests are virtual reality, placebo, and motivation. Zjawiony is focused on research that allows to develop better tools and create more efficient solutions.