The Effect of Immersive VR Distraction on Memory: Study 2

University of Washington20 enrolled

Overview

This study measures how many words people can recall. Some words are studied/heard/learned while in immersive Virtual Reality, and some are studied/heard/learned while in a plausible control distraction.

In this Study (n=20), participants recalled word lists during a plausible semi-immersive control condition (passive Apple Vision Pro see-through mode) versus during interactive immersive VR. Participants also later received brief heat pain stimuli during No VR versus immersive VR and provided pain and anxiety and distraction ratings on 0-10 graphic rating scales.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Virtual Reality Amnesia

Interventions

Immersive Virtual RealityBEHAVIORAL

While wearing an immersive VR helmet, participants grabbed virtual objects andd put them into a bowl of virtual water, while memorizing a list of words from the real world.

Plausible control conditionBEHAVIORAL

Participant passively viewed the laboratory room they saw while wearing Apple Vision Pro goggles, while memorizing a list of words read to them from the real world.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Currently enrolled in a course at the University of Washington Psychology Dept., participating in the UW Psychology subject pool * Able to read, write and comprehend English * Able to complete study measures * Willing to follow our UW approved instructions * 18 years of age or older Exclusion Criteria: * People who have already previously participated in this same study (e.g., last quarter) are not eligible to participate again. * Not enrolled in a course at the University of Washington Psychology Dept., not participating in the UW Psychology subject pool * Not be able to read, write and comprehend English * Younger than 18 years of age. * Not capable of completing measures * Not capable of indicating pain intensity, * Not capable of filling out study measures, * Extreme susceptibility to motion sickness, * Seizure history, * Unusual sensitivity or lack of sensitivity to pain, * Sensitive skin, * Sensitive feet * Migraines * Diabetes

Locations (1)

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Word Recall accuracy

Number of study words recalled during an immediate recall task

Time frame: begin 15 seconds after the last word

Subjective ratings of Distraction

Participants rated how distracted they were in each treatment condition

Time frame: Measured immediately after the free recall of each word list.

Secondary Outcomes

During Phase 2, VR pain reduction was measured

graphic ratings of worst pain intensity and other GRS pain ratings during brief thermal stimulation

Time frame: subjective pain ratings measured immediately after each brief thermal stimulus

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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