Perception of autonomy and its effect on intrinsic motivation, immersion, and performance
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Trevor Moree Dennie (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- William Poynter
Abstract: Self-determination theory (SDT) states that satisfaction of three basic psychological
needs leads to intrinsic motivation. These needs are autonomy, competence, and
relatedness. Satisfaction of the need for autonomy comes from having the choice or
freedom to engage in what one wants to do. This study primarily focused on the need for
autonomy. The purpose of the current study is to examine the association between
autonomy, in the form of game character personalization, and immersion, intrinsic
motivation and performance. This study employed an experimental design in order to
manipulate the levels of autonomy each participant received. Two conditions were used
in this study to determine how differing levels of autonomy affected the participants. One
of the conditions, the autonomy condition, allowed each participant to create a
customized in-game character which they would then use in either Kinect Sports or
Kinect Adventures. In the second condition, the non-autonomy condition, the examiner
removed all character customization ability from the participants’ control. The examiner
fully dictated how to create this character (bodily characteristics, facial characteristics,
clothing and character name). Regardless of the game they were asked to play, all
participants played each game for two rounds. All participants played only one game and engaged in both conditions within the same game. After each round, they completed the
PENS scales (In-Game Autonomy, In-Game Competence, Physical/Emotional/Narrative
Presence, and Intuitive Controls) and game enjoyment was evaluated with an adapted
form of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI), the Interest/Enjoyment scale.
Personality data, based on the five factor model of personality (FFM), and data regarding
participants’ satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of autonomy and competence
were also collected. No significant differences in immersion, autonomy or intrinsic
motivation were found between the autonomy and non-autonomy conditions for either
Kinect Adventures or Kinect Sports. Performance within Kinect Adventures did not
significantly differ between the autonomy and non-autonomy conditions. However, there
were significant positive correlations between the domains of personality and the PENS
measures of autonomy, competence, intuitive controls and immersion and the
Interest/Enjoyment (IMI) scale. Significant correlations were also found between
personality domains and participants’ satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of
autonomy and competence for both Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sports. These results
suggest that video game research that utilizes SDT needs to further evaluate the
relationship between the domains of personality and autonomy, competence, immersion
and enjoyment.
Perception of autonomy and its effect on intrinsic motivation, immersion, and performance
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Created on 7/1/2012
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2012
- Keywords
- Autonomy, Basic need satisfaction, Five factor model, Intrinsic motivation, Self-determination theory, Video games
- Subjects
- Autonomy (Psychology)
- Intrinsic motivation
- Video games -- Psychological aspects