Dr. Michael Knierim

The phenomenon of Flow, a state of absorption in the task and deep concentration, is still an emerging and promising research topic in psychology, behavioral sciences, and information systems research. Since such research heavily relies on the task that is used to study Flow, this work shall extend the current literature by developing and testing a new puzzle task that can be used to study Flow experiences both in the field and in the laboratory. The puzzle is embedded in an experimental design, combining the paradigm of difficulty manipulation with the option for each participant to select their optimal difficulty. This allows studying in particular the difference of Flow experience between cognitive and game tasks. The first steps to investigate this previously unaddressed difference are presented in this work by evaluating the results of a pilot test, which suggest, that the developed puzzle game is suited for flow research. Also, the analysis suggests that games are generally better suited to experience flow than cognitive tasks, but still future research is needed to finally answer these questions.