Empathy and Virtual Reality (VR)

NCT ID: NCT07314788

Last Updated: 2026-01-08

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

110 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2026-02-15

Study Completion Date

2027-05-31

Brief Summary

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This study will characterize the subjective and physiological changes associated with empathy following a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Virtual Reality Fear

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Fear-inducing Virtual Reality (VR) experience

Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure lasting approximately 1-2 minutes, involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking a plank above a high-rise building or canyon).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Fear-inducing Virtual Reality (VR) experience

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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).

Neutral Virtual Reality (VR) experience

Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure lasting approximately 1-2 minutes, involving a neutral scenario (e.g., walking to the edge of a curb at street level).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Neutral Virtual Reality (VR) experience

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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).

Interventions

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Fear-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).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Neutral 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).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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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).


* VR contraindications: epilepsy, migraines, flu, sleep deprivation, etc.
* More than minimal VR experience assessed via self-report (e.g., How often have you used virtual reality in the past? 0=never, 6=very frequently)
* Extreme phobia of heights and/or spiders will be assessed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) specific phobia subscale.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

25 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Miami

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Jennifer Britton

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Jennifer Britton, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Miami

Locations

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University of Miami

Coral Gables, Florida, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Jennifer Britton, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

305-284-4943

Facility Contacts

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Jennifer Britton, Ph.D.

Role: primary

305-284-4943

Other Identifiers

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20241195

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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