The Mediating Role of Cognitive Flexibility in the Association Between Technology-Related Difficulties and Positive Attitudes Towards the Metaverse: Structural Equation Modelling

Emerging immersive environments may be evaluated positively by individuals who are highly involved in digital technologies, even when that involvement co-occurs with technology-related difficulties; cognitive flexibility may help explain this apparently contradictory pattern. This cross-sectional correlational study examined whether cognitive flexibility statistically mediated the association between technology-related difficulties and positive attitudes towards the Metaverse in 231 adults aged 18-40 recruited by convenience sampling at a state university. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the Metaverse Attitude Scale, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and the Technology-Based Disorders Screening List. The structural model contained three latent variables represented by theoretically defined subscale scores. Technology-related difficulties were positively associated with positive Metaverse attitudes (beta = .54), negatively associated with cognitive flexibility (beta = -.53), and cognitive flexibility was positively associated with positive Metaverse attitudes (beta = .53). The estimated indirect association was negative (beta = -.28), whereas the direct association was positive, yielding a smaller total association (beta = .26). The opposite signs of the direct and indirect estimates are consistent with competitive or inconsistent mediation. Because the data are cross-sectional and self-reported, the paths indicate statistical associations rather than temporal or causal processes.