We like to move it move it!: motivation and parasocial interaction

Researchers studying virtual coaching have identified a variety of characteristics associated with heightened motivation, but have not, to date, identified a mechanism underlying the success of particular coaches. This project tests two possible explanations for how coaches heighten motivation: the first is the straightforward explanation that coaching heightens self-efficacy, which in turn raises motivation; the second is the more novel idea that the quality of the pseudo-relationship between the virtual coach and the trainee is key to motivation. In an experiment comparing three systematically differing coaches, virtual coaches heightened both self-efficacy and parasocial interaction in some coaching conditions, but only parasocial interaction explained the patterns of results for intrinsic motivation. The findings have important theoretical implications for understanding the effects of parasocial interaction on health behaviors, with practical applications for the design of virtual coaches to improve health.