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Healthy VolunteersEPREV-EANCT03577288

Impact of Emotion in Virtual Reality on Behavior of Children and Young Adults

A study testing manipulation of the level of realism, manipulation of the presence and size of avatar and manipulation of interaction in people with Healthy Volunteers, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

Recently, researchers in the field of cognitive psychology have shown a great interest in Virtual Reality (VR). Indeed, this technology is the most advanced to create immersion and sense of presence in a virtual environment (VE) and gives the opportunity to study cognitive mechanisms in more ecological way. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 8 to 28 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy Volunteers
What is being tested?
manipulation of the level of realism, manipulation of the presence and size of avatar and manipulation of interaction
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
240 participants
Where
1 siteFrance
Study dates
25 Jan 2019to 3 Mar 2020
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 8 to 28 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Children:
  • Age comprised between 8 and 14
  • Native French speaker
  • Two parents gave their informed consent for a participation of their child in the study
  • Young adults :
  • Students
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Age comprised between 18 and 25
  • Native French speaker
  • Participant gave his/her informed consent for a participation in the study
  • Participant has health insurance

Who cannot join

  • Children:
  • Neurodevelopmental deficits, diagnosis of intellectual deficiency (Scores below 70 for Vineland II scale et Total IQ Total below 70 for WPPSI-IV (Wechsler, 2014) or WISC-V (Wechsler, 2016)) new by parents or legal representative
  • Learning disorder (difficulties in learning and using scholar skills since at least 6 months new by teacher, parents or legal representative)
  • History of psychiatric disorder new by parents or legal representative
  • Neurological disorders new by parents or legal representative
  • Drugs intake having impact on motor, cognitive or memory capacities (e.g., corticoids) new by parents or legal representative
Show all 17Show fewer
  • Visual or hearing disorders without correction
  • Epilepsy
  • Child, parents or legal representative no agreement to participate to the study
  • Young Adults :
  • Neurological disorders new by participants
  • Drugs intake having impact on motor, cognitive or memory capacities (e.g., corticoids)
  • History of psychiatric disorder new by participant
  • Use of drugs of alcohol
  • Visual or hearing disorders without correction
  • Epilepsy
  • No agreement to participate to the study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

France1 site
  • EA3082 Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs Institut de Psychologie Université Lyon 2

    Bron

Other trials in France

About this study

Official title: Impact of Appearance and Control of Emotions in Virtual Reality on Behaviour in Children and Young Adults: Link With Feeling of Presence

Recently, researchers in the field of cognitive psychology have shown a great interest in Virtual Reality (VR). Indeed, this technology is the most advanced to create immersion and sense of presence in a virtual environment (VE) and gives the opportunity to study cognitive mechanisms in more ecological way. However, little is known about the impact of VR on the cognition and emotional states of the VR users. According to the scientific literature, the sense of presence (the fact that the user experiences the sense of being in the VE) is strongly related to the emotional experience, but it is not clear what mechanisms underline this relation. Thus, more research is necessary to its better understanding. Moreover, a few studies have shown age related differences in sense of presence, with children having greater inclination for sense of presence than adults. This might be explained by the fact that frontal cortex (which is responsible for a control of the sense of presence) is still developing in childhood (the maturation last for the beginning of adulthood).

The goal of the present study is to examine which factors might be responsible of the interaction between the sense of presence, the immersion and the emotional experience in Virtual Reality, and the age-related difference. Thus, the investigator study 2 types of healthy participants (volunteers) in order to examine the age-related difference in this interaction: young adults between 18 and 25 years old and children between 8 to 14 years old. To study different factors potentially involved in the interaction four experiments will be conducted. In each experiment the investigator manipulate one type of factor to study its impact on emotions and the sense of presence in a VE: (1) the image quality, (2) the fact that participant had an avatar (body) in the VE, (3) the possibility to interact or not in VE and (4) the nature of elements with which it is possible to interact (objects or living being). In the end of this study the investigator hope to contribute to the knowledge of adapted use of VR for different type of users, such as children and young adults.

Being tested
manipulation of the level of realism, manipulation of the presence and size of avatar, manipulation of interaction, manipulation of the nature of stimulus
Keywords
Feelings, Emotions, Virtual Reality, Young Adult, Child

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • manipulation of the level of realismBehavioural

    The realism of the virtual experience will be manipulated. In one condition the realism will be high and in another condition the realism will be low. In addition, emotional category of stimuli for each virtual experience condition will be manipulated. Thus, each participant will be submitted to six virtual experiences (e.g., high realism with negative stimuli, low realism with negative stimuli, high realism with positive stimuli).

    The measures of the pupillary responses, gaze fixation, heart rate, head movement (only in part A) and Late Positive Potential (EEG - only in part B) will be realized. In addition, the participants will respond to the scales and questionnaire evaluating their emotion, feeling of presence and feeling of immersion.

  • manipulation of the presence and size of avatarBehavioural

    The presence of avatar in the virtual experience will be manipulated. In one condition the avatar will be present and in another condition the avatar will not be present. In addition, emotional category of stimuli for each virtual experience condition will be manipulated. Thus, each participant will be submitted to six virtual experiences (e.g., with avatar and negative stimuli, without avatar and negative stimuli, with avatar and positive stimuli, etc.).

    Children will be exposed to only one of the two possible situations: with an avatar or without an avatar for the entire experience. Adults will be exposed to only one of the four possible situations: with standard size avatar, with giant avatar, with tiny avatar, or without avatar.

    The measures of the pupillary responses, gaze fixation, heart rate, head movement will be realized. In addition, the participants will respond to the scales and questionnaire evaluating their emotion, feeling of presence and feeling of immersion.

  • manipulation of interactionBehavioural

    Virtual experience condition will be manipulated. In one condition the participants will be exposed to the virtual experience in which they will be able to interact with some of the stimuli, in another condition they will not be able to interact with the stimuli (passive watching). In addition, emotional category of stimuli for each virtual experience condition will be manipulated. Thus, each participant will be submitted to six virtual experiences (e.g., interaction possible - negative stimuli, interaction impossible - negative stimuli, interaction possible - positive stimuli).

    The measures of the pupillary responses, gaze fixation, heart rate, head movement will be realized. In addition, the participants will respond to the scales and questionnaire evaluating their emotion, feeling of presence and feeling of immersion.

  • manipulation of the nature of stimulusBehavioural

    The nature of the stimuli with which the participants will interact will be manipulated. During virtual experience the participants will have a choice to interact or not with the virtual environment, in one condition with animate stimuli and in another condition with inanimate stimuli. In addition, emotional category of animate and inanimate stimuli will be manipulated. Thus, each participant will be submitted to six virtual experiences (e.g., condition with animate negative stimuli, condition with inanimate negative stimuli, condition with animate positive stimuli). The measures of the pupillary responses, gaze fixation, heart rate, head movement will be realized. In addition, the participants will respond to the scales and questionnaire evaluating their emotion, feeling of presence and feeling of immersion.

Study groups in NCT03577288
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Experiment 1 A, B - Level of realism of EVRExperimentalParticipants (50 children and 50 young adults for part A, and 50 other children and 50 other young adults) will be exposed to virtual experience having different level of realism. In one condition the realism will be high (very close to the real word) and in the second condition the realism will be low (comparable to cartoon). The stimuli of interest included in virtual experience will be of three emotional categories : negative, positive and neutral.
Receives: Behavioral: manipulation of the level of realism
Experiment 2 - Presence and size of avatarExperimentalParticipants (50 children and 100 young adults) will be exposed to virtual experiences in which in one condition they will be part of the virtual environment in a body of an avatar and in another condition the avatar will not be present. Children will be exposed to only one of the two possible situations: with an avatar or without an avatar for the entire experience. Adults will be exposed to only one of the four possible situations: with standard size avatar, with giant avatar, with tiny avatar, or without avatar.
Receives: Behavioral: manipulation of the presence and size of avatar
Experiment 3 - Interaction in virtual experienceExperimentalParticipants (50 children and 50 young adults) will be submitted to two conditions of virtual experience, one condition in which it is possible to interact with the stimuli presented in the virtual environment and another condition in which it is not possible to interact. In addition, the stimuli of interest will be of one of three emotional categories : negative, positive and neutral. Thus participants will be exposed to six short virtual experiences.
Receives: Behavioral: manipulation of interaction
Experiment 4 - Animate/Inanimate nature of interactive objectsExperimentalParticipants (30 children and 30 young adults) will be exposed to the virtual experience during which they will be able to interact in one condition with animated (e.g., dog, bird) stimuli and in another condition with inanimate (e.g., book, jacket) stimuli. The animate and inanimate stimuli of interest will be of three emotional categories : negative, positive and neutral.
Receives: Behavioral: manipulation of the nature of stimulus

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. measure of valence and arousal with Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) scale

    Evaluation of emotion

    Measured: Day 0

  2. response to the presence questionnaire (PQ, Witmer & Singer, 1998

    Evaluation of feeling of presence questionnaire PQ, Witmer \& Singer, 1998

    Measured: Day 0

  3. evaluation of feeling of immersion by a Likert scale

    Evaluation of feeling of immersion

    Measured: Day 0

  4. responses evoked by the stimuli of interest

    During Experience in Virtual Reality (EVR) we will measure responses evoked by the stimuli of interest: with oculometer time fixation and pupillary dilatation, and with oximeter heart rate

    Measured: Day 0

  5. Measure of evoked potential

    During EVR only in Experiment 1B we will measure, using EEG, evoked potential, particularly Late Positive Potential (LPP)

    Measured: Day 0

  6. Measure of head movements evoked by the stimuli of interest

    During EVR except Experiment 1B we will measure, using the device integrated in VR equipment, head movements evoked by the stimuli of interest

    Measured: Day 0

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted5 Jul 2018
  2. Study start25 Jan 2019
  3. Primary completion3 Mar 2020
  4. Study completion3 Mar 2020

Why it stopped: Study had to be stopped in 2020 with the health crisis linked to COVID-19. Following this, and in view of the sanitary conditions, it was not possible to resume recruitment (research was taking place within the University of Lyon 2 and in schools)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
240 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03577288
Sponsor's protocol ID
69HCL18_0224
Acronym
EPREV-EA
Status last verified
Oct 2021
First submitted
22 Jun 2018
Last updated
1 Nov 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing manipulation of the level of realism, manipulation of the presence and size of avatar and manipulation of interaction in people with Healthy Volunteers, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 17 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Nov 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Study had to be stopped in 2020 with the health crisis linked to COVID-19. Following this, and in view of the sanitary conditions, it was not possible to resume recruitment (research was taking place within the University of Lyon 2 and in schools)). Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

measure of valence and arousal with Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) scale (time frame: Day 0). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Nov 2021.

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