Fear, Virtual Reality
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will characterize the subjective and physiological changes associated with empathy following a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALFear-inducing Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking a plank above a high-rise building or canyon).
BEHAVIORALNeutral Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking to the edge of a curb at street level).
Sponsors
University of Miami
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* College-aged adults (18-25 years old) * English-speaking * Normal or corrected vision. * Able to provide consent.
Exclusion criteria
• Presence of a significant and/or unstable medical illness (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological disorder) or head trauma (e.g., concussion). Additional
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in self-reported empathy scores | Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience. | Participant will view videos of other individuals undergoing a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience and will self-report level of empathy on a scale 0=not at all to 10=extremely. Average empathy ratings will be compared pre-VR and post-VR. |
| Change in heart rate | Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience. | Average heart rate (beats/minute) will be collected while watching videos of other individuals undergoing a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience and will be compared pre-VR and post-VR. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the correlation between self-reported anxiety scores of self and another | Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience. | Participant will view videos of other individuals undergoing a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience and will self-report level of anxiety on self and other on a scale 0=not at all, 10=extremely. Anxiety ratings of self and another will be correlated and compared pre-VR and post-VR. Greater correlation will reflect greater alignment of anxiety. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJennifer Britton, Ph.D.
University of Miami
Outcome results
None listed