EmotionNCT07915089
Emotional and Affective Responses to Music Inspired by Permafrost Thaw in Nunavik
A study testing Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in Nunavik in people with Emotion and Affective Response, run by Centre integre universitaire de sante et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
This study will compare how young adults respond to four audiovisual artworks inspired by ice melt and permafrost thaw in Nunavik, northern Quebec. Permafrost is ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Emotion, Affective Response, Physiological Responses
- What is being tested?
- Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in Nunavik
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 1 Nov 2026to 30 Mar 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 18 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Aged 18-35 years.
- Able to understand French or English, according to the language used for the questionnaires and informed consent.
- Able to provide free and informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Unable to understand the study instructions or provide free and informed consent.
- Major uncorrected visual or hearing impairment preventing adequate viewing or listening to the artworks.
- Anticipated substantial discomfort when viewing content about climate change, ice melt, permafrost thaw or environmental changes in northern regions.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Canada1 site
CRIUGM
Montreal, Quebec, H3W1W5
Olivier Beauchet, MD, PhD, 514 340 3540 ext. 3637, olivier.beauchet@umontreal.ca
About this study
Official title: Comparison of Emotional and Affective Responses to Three Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Ice Melt and Permafrost Thaw in Nunavik Among Young Adults
This study will compare how young adults respond to four audiovisual artworks inspired by ice melt and permafrost thaw in Nunavik, northern Quebec. Permafrost is ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years. The researchers want to understand whether the artworks evoke different emotions, bodily responses and personal interpretations, and whether they help make environmental changes more concrete and meaningful.
The four artworks draw on the same 30 years of environmental data from the Tasiujaq area of Nunavik. They combine music and moving images through different creative approaches:
Read more
- Contemporary music created by a human composer, paired with images generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
- Inuit pop-rock music created independently by an Inuk artist, paired with AI-generated images.
- Music and images generated using AI from the environmental data.
- AI-generated music combining and reworking material from the two human-created compositions, paired with AI-generated images.
The study will recruit 80 adults aged 18-35 who understand French or English and can provide informed consent. It will take place at the Research Centre of the Montreal Geriatric University Institute in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Before attending, participants will complete approximately 30 minutes of online questionnaires about their background, connection with nature, environmental concerns, and familiarity with music, Inuit culture, Nunavik and AI. They will then attend one laboratory session lasting approximately 60 minutes.
During the session, every participant will watch and listen to all four artworks. Each artwork lasts 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Participants will be assigned to one of eight presentation orders to reduce the influence of viewing order on their responses. Viewing conditions will be kept consistent, and the artworks will be presented under neutral labels.
Before each artwork, participants will sit quietly for approximately one minute while resting physiological measurements are recorded. Sensors will measure changes in skin conductance, which reflects changes in sweating, and heart rate during viewing. These measurements will be considered alongside participants' own reports because they cannot, by themselves, identify a specific emotion.
Participants will complete short questionnaires before and after each artwork about how pleasant or unpleasant they feel, how calm or activated they feel, and specific positive and negative emotions. Further questions will explore their appreciation and interpretation of the artworks and the responses the works evoke. After viewing all four, participants will repeat questionnaires about nature connectedness and environmental anxiety, compare the artworks, and explain their choices in their own words.
The researchers will compare responses to the four artworks within each participant and explore whether responses are associated with individual characteristics, including initial environmental concerns and familiarity with the arts or AI. Each artwork will be evaluated as a complete experience. Differences cannot be attributed separately to musical style, cultural references or the use of AI.
This study is not a treatment for anxiety or another health condition, and no direct health benefit is guaranteed. Participants may request a break or stop the session at any time.
- Conditions
- Emotion, Affective Response, Physiological Responses
- Being tested
- Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in Nunavik
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in NunavikOther
Participants attend one laboratory session and view four audiovisual artworks inspired by 30 years of data on ice melt and permafrost thaw in Nunavik. Each artwork lasts 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Two combine independently human-composed music with AI-generated images. A third combines AI-generated music and images based on the environmental data. A fourth combines AI-generated images with music created by merging and reworking the two human compositions. All participants experience all four artworks under standardised viewing and listening conditions. Each presentation is preceded by approximately one minute of quiet rest and followed by a questionnaire period.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure to Four Nunavik-Inspired Audiovisual Artworks | Experimental | Participants watch and listen to four audiovisual artworks inspired by ice melt and permafrost thaw in Nunavik during one laboratory session. Each artwork lasts 3 minutes and 50 seconds. All participants experience all four artworks, which combine human-created or AI-generated music with AI-generated images. Questionnaires assess emotional and affective responses before and after each artwork. Skin conductance and heart rate are recorded during viewing. Participants also evaluate and compare the artworks and describe their interpretations. Receives: Other: Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in Nunavik |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Affect Grid Valence Score Following Each Audiovisual Artwork
Emotional valence is assessed using the horizontal coordinate of the Affect Grid, ranging from 1 (unpleasant) to 9 (pleasant). For each artwork, change is calculated as the score immediately after viewing minus the score immediately before viewing. Positive changes indicate greater pleasantness. Responses are compared across the four artworks within participants.
Measured: Immediately before and after each 3-minute-50-second artwork during one approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Change in Affect Grid Arousal Score Following Each Audiovisual Artwork
Subjective arousal is assessed using the vertical coordinate of the Affect Grid, ranging from 1 (low arousal) to 9 (high arousal). For each artwork, change is calculated as the score immediately after viewing minus the score immediately before viewing. Positive changes indicate greater subjective activation. Responses are compared across the four artworks within participants.
Measured: Immediately before and after each 3-minute-50-second artwork during one approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Electrodermal Responses During Audiovisual Artwork Viewing
Electrodermal activity is recorded continuously using the Shimmer3 GSR+ device. Tonic skin conductance level and phasic skin conductance responses characterise physiological activation during each artwork. Recordings are evaluated relative to the approximately one-minute resting period preceding each artwork and compared across the four artworks within participants. Skin conductance is expressed in microsiemens; higher activity does not identify whether an emotion is positive or negative.
Measured: During the approximately one-minute rest before each artwork and throughout each 3-minute-50-second presentation, within one approximately 60-minute session.
Heart Rate Responses During Audiovisual Artwork Viewing
Heart rate is estimated from the photoplethysmographic pulse signal recorded using the Shimmer3 GSR+ device and expressed in beats per minute. Responses during each artwork are evaluated relative to the preceding approximately one-minute resting period and compared across the four artworks within participants.
Measured: During the approximately one-minute rest before each artwork and throughout each 3-minute-50-second presentation, within one approximately 60-minute session.
Secondary outcomes (3)
Change in Global Affective Polarity Following Each Audiovisual Artwork
Global Affective Polarity (GAP) is a study-developed exploratory composite based on six items rated from 0 to 10. GAP-P is the mean of pleasantness, joy and appeasement; GAP-N is the mean of unpleasantness, sadness and melancholy. Global GAP equals GAP-P minus GAP-N and ranges from -10 to +10. Higher scores indicate predominance of positive affective components. Component scores each range from 0 to 10. Changes are calculated separately for each artwork as post-viewing minus pre-viewing scores.
Measured: Immediately before and after each 3-minute-50-second artwork during one approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Change in Nature Connection Index Score
Nature connectedness is assessed using the six-item Nature Connection Index. Responses are recorded on seven-point agreement scales and coded so that higher values indicate stronger connectedness. Under the study protocol, the mean item score is transformed to a 0-100 index using [(mean score - 1)/6] × 100. Higher scores indicate greater nature connectedness. Change is calculated as the score after viewing all four artworks minus the score collected at inclusion.
Measured: At inclusion before the laboratory visit and immediately after viewing all four artworks during the approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Change in Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale Score
Eco-anxiety is assessed using the 13-item Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13). Items are rated from 0 to 3 and summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 39. Higher scores indicate more frequent eco-anxiety-related responses. Change is calculated as the score after viewing all four artworks minus the score collected at inclusion. This exploratory assessment does not imply that the artworks constitute a treatment for eco-anxiety.
Measured: At inclusion before the laboratory visit and immediately after viewing all four artworks during the approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Nov 2026
- Study start1 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Mar 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for EmotionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Within-participant study in which each participant views all four audiovisual artworks during one laboratory session. Participants are randomly assigned to one of eight predefined, counterbalanced presentation sequences, with 10 participants planned per sequence. Emotional, affective and physiological responses are compared across artworks within participants.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Centre integre universitaire de sante et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Olivier Beauchet, Centre integre universitaire de sante et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07915089
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2027-2668
- Status last verified
- Nov 2026
- First submitted
- 28 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 6 Nov 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Nov 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Comparison of Emotional and Affective Responses to Three Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Ice Melt and Permafrost Thaw in Nunavik Among Young Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07915089
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2027-2668
- Conditions
- Emotion, Affective Response, Physiological Responses
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Centre integre universitaire de sante et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-MontréalOther government
- Study start
- 1 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 4 Nov 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will compare how young adults respond to four audiovisual artworks inspired by ice melt and permafrost thaw in Nunavik, northern Quebec. Permafrost is ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years. The researchers want to understand whether the artworks evoke different emotions, bodily responses and personal interpretations, and whether they help make environmental changes more concrete and meaningful.
The four artworks draw on the same 30 years of environmental data from the Tasiujaq area of Nunavik. They combine music and moving images through different creative approaches:
- Contemporary music created by a human composer, paired with images generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
- Inuit pop-rock music created independently by an Inuk artist, paired with AI-generated images.
- Music and images generated using AI from the environmental data.
- AI-generated music combining and reworking material from the two human-created compositions, paired with AI-generated images.
The study will recruit 80 adults aged 18-35 who understand French or English and can provide informed consent. It will take place at the Research Centre of the Montreal Geriatric University Institute in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Before attending, participants will complete approximately 30 minutes of online questionnaires about their background, connection with nature, environmental concerns, and familiarity with music, Inuit culture, Nunavik and AI. They will then attend one laboratory session lasting approximately 60 minutes.
During the session, every participant will watch and listen to all four artworks. Each artwork lasts 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Participants will be assigned to one of eight presentation orders to reduce the influence of viewing order on their responses. Viewing conditions will be kept consistent, and the artworks will be presented under neutral labels.
Before each artwork, participants will sit quietly for approximately one minute while resting physiological measurements are recorded. Sensors will measure changes in skin conductance, which reflects changes in sweating, and heart rate during viewing. These measurements will be considered alongside participants' own reports because they cannot, by themselves, identify a specific emotion.
Participants will complete short questionnaires before and after each artwork about how pleasant or unpleasant they feel, how calm or activated they feel, and specific positive and negative emotions. Further questions will explore their appreciation and interpretation of the artworks and the responses the works evoke. After viewing all four, participants will repeat questionnaires about nature connectedness and environmental anxiety, compare the artworks, and explain their choices in their own words.
The researchers will compare responses to the four artworks within each participant and explore whether responses are associated with individual characteristics, including initial environmental concerns and familiarity with the arts or AI. Each artwork will be evaluated as a complete experience. Differences cannot be attributed separately to musical style, cultural references or the use of AI.
This study is not a treatment for anxiety or another health condition, and no direct health benefit is guaranteed. Participants may request a break or stop the session at any time.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Within-participant study in which each participant views all four audiovisual artworks during one laboratory session. Participants are randomly assigned to one of eight predefined, counterbalanced presentation sequences, with 10 participants planned per sequence. Emotional, affective and physiological responses are compared across artworks within participants.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure to Four Nunavik-Inspired Audiovisual Artworks | Experimental | Other: Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in NunavikParticipants watch and listen to four audiovisual artworks inspired by ice melt and permafrost thaw in Nunavik during one laboratory session. Each artwork lasts 3 minutes and 50 seconds. All participants experience all four artworks, which combine human-created or AI-generated music with AI-generated images. Questionnaires assess emotional and affective responses before and after each artwork. Skin conductance and heart rate are recorded during viewing. Participants also evaluate and compare the artworks and describe their interpretations. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Aged 18-35 years.
- Able to understand French or English, according to the language used for the questionnaires and informed consent.
- Able to provide free and informed consent.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Unable to understand the study instructions or provide free and informed consent.
- Major uncorrected visual or hearing impairment preventing adequate viewing or listening to the artworks.
- Anticipated substantial discomfort when viewing content about climate change, ice melt, permafrost thaw or environmental changes in northern regions.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in NunavikParticipants attend one laboratory session and view four audiovisual artworks inspired by 30 years of data on ice melt and permafrost thaw in Nunavik. Each artwork lasts 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Two combine independently human-composed music with AI-generated images. A third combines AI-generated music and images based on the environmental data. A fourth combines AI-generated images with music created by merging and reworking the two human compositions. All participants experience all four artworks under standardised viewing and listening conditions. Each presentation is preceded by approximately one minute of quiet rest and followed by a questionnaire period. | Other | Exposure to Four Nunavik-Inspired Audiovisual Artworks |
Primary outcome
Change in Affect Grid Valence Score Following Each Audiovisual Artwork
Time frame: Immediately before and after each 3-minute-50-second artwork during one approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Emotional valence is assessed using the horizontal coordinate of the Affect Grid, ranging from 1 (unpleasant) to 9 (pleasant). For each artwork, change is calculated as the score immediately after viewing minus the score immediately before viewing. Positive changes indicate greater pleasantness. Responses are compared across the four artworks within participants.
Change in Affect Grid Arousal Score Following Each Audiovisual Artwork
Time frame: Immediately before and after each 3-minute-50-second artwork during one approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Subjective arousal is assessed using the vertical coordinate of the Affect Grid, ranging from 1 (low arousal) to 9 (high arousal). For each artwork, change is calculated as the score immediately after viewing minus the score immediately before viewing. Positive changes indicate greater subjective activation. Responses are compared across the four artworks within participants.
Electrodermal Responses During Audiovisual Artwork Viewing
Time frame: During the approximately one-minute rest before each artwork and throughout each 3-minute-50-second presentation, within one approximately 60-minute session.
Electrodermal activity is recorded continuously using the Shimmer3 GSR+ device. Tonic skin conductance level and phasic skin conductance responses characterise physiological activation during each artwork. Recordings are evaluated relative to the approximately one-minute resting period preceding each artwork and compared across the four artworks within participants. Skin conductance is expressed in microsiemens; higher activity does not identify whether an emotion is positive or negative.
Heart Rate Responses During Audiovisual Artwork Viewing
Time frame: During the approximately one-minute rest before each artwork and throughout each 3-minute-50-second presentation, within one approximately 60-minute session.
Heart rate is estimated from the photoplethysmographic pulse signal recorded using the Shimmer3 GSR+ device and expressed in beats per minute. Responses during each artwork are evaluated relative to the preceding approximately one-minute resting period and compared across the four artworks within participants.
3 secondary outcomes
Change in Global Affective Polarity Following Each Audiovisual Artwork
Time frame: Immediately before and after each 3-minute-50-second artwork during one approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Change in Nature Connection Index Score
Time frame: At inclusion before the laboratory visit and immediately after viewing all four artworks during the approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Change in Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale Score
Time frame: At inclusion before the laboratory visit and immediately after viewing all four artworks during the approximately 60-minute laboratory session.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Nov 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
Related trials for Emotion
Recruiting
Unified Protocol in Penitentiary Facilities
Depression Disorders, Anxiety
Not yet recruiting
Preventive and Personalized Digital Emotion Regulation Skills Intervention to Reduce Depression and Anxiety in Youths With Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experience, Depression / Major Depressive Disorder
Recruiting
Effect of a Brief Daily Digital Meditation on Well-Being in US Young Adults (BEGIN II)
Mental Health and General Well-being
Active, not recruiting
Intervention to Address Disparate Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic on Latinx and African Newcomers
Mental Health Issue, Mental Health Disorder
Not yet recruiting
REM Enhancement Sleep Technology for Well-being, Emotion, and Life Lift
Healthy Adult Participants
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Viewing Four Audiovisual Artworks Inspired by Environmental Changes in Nunavik in people with Emotion and Affective Response, run by Centre integre universitaire de sante et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal at 1 site in Canada.
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 3 inclusion and 3 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Nov 2026. 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 Canada. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Olivier Beauchet, MD, PhD (514 340 3540 ext. 3637, olivier.beauchet@umontreal.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Affect Grid Valence Score Following Each Audiovisual Artwork (time frame: Immediately before and after each 3-minute-50-second artwork during one approximately 60-minute laboratory session.). The study lists 4 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 6 Nov 2026.