University of Twente Student Theses
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Exploring the Effect of Environmental Interaction on Belief Change Towards Climate Change : A Virtual Reality Approach
Kaiser, M. S. (2025) Exploring the Effect of Environmental Interaction on Belief Change Towards Climate Change : A Virtual Reality Approach.
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| Abstract: | Climate change is a major global threat, with estimates predicting up to 14.5 million additional deaths by 2050. Misinformation about it contributes to confusion, and political inaction. Virtual reality (VR), with its immersive and interactive qualities, has shown promise as a tool for misinformation correction. Building on the study by Erisen et al. (2024), which found that VR can increase belief in climate change and reduce skepticism, the present study explores whether user engagement and avatar presence further enhance these effects. A mixed quasi-experimental longitudinal design was used, with data collected at four time points across three conditions: a VR condition with a text-based correction, a VR condition featuring a human avatar delivering the correction, and a social media condition used as control. The final sample consisted of 87 participants. Measures included items on climate change belief and skepticism assessed via surveys, and user engagement measured through the number of teleportations in the VR environment. No significant effects were found for teleportation frequency or avatar presence on belief or skepticism. These findings align with previous research and suggest that simple forms of interaction, such as teleportation and avatars, may not suffice to enhance the effectiveness of VR-based misinformation correction. Further research is needed. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107059 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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