Approbation of the Russian Version of Transportation Scale (TS)

Abstract

One of the important tasks for Russian film researchers is to find relevant psychological concepts to describe the process of interaction between the viewer and the film, as well as to form appropriate psychometric tools, which are currently absent in Russian psychology. The article presents the results of adaptation and approbation of the Transportation Scale (TS), developed by M. Green and T. Brock for measuring the transportation — a special state of the involvement and immersion in the narrative (story). A total of 1171 Russian-speaking students from 17 to 29 years old (M = 19.8; SD = 1.9; 577 men and 594 women) took part in approbation of the technique. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor structure, although it also revealed differences with it in the distribution of items. Confirmatory factor analysis did not empirically support the original model, while the new model showed good correspondence with the empirical data. Russian version of the Transportation Scale showed good internal consistency. Convergent validity is confirmed by the presence of significant correlations with the components of “experience in the activity” (positive correlations with pleasure and meaning, negative with void and effort), as well as direct connections with empathy and the need for cognition. For verification of criterion validity, a part of the respondents was re-interviewed using another stimulus material (film). The results present transportation as an unstable state, caused each time by a particular film, and also demonstrate the dependence of transportation on the quality of the narrative. The psychometric assessment showed that the Russian version of the Transportation Scale is a reliable and valid tool that can now be used to study transportation and its effects in a Russian sample, as well as to conduct cross-cultural research in this area.