Measuring Attention During Immersive Virtual Reality Distraction

A Magic Bowl Low Tech Vs. High Tech Immersive Virtual Reality Distraction

Brief Summary

Using a repeated measures within-subject design with treatment order randomized, with healthy volunteers, this study will measure how much immersive Virtual Reality (VR) reduces performance on a simple attention demanding task during No VR vs. High Tech VR (for one group of 16 participants), and during a plausible control see through VR vs. High Tech VR (for another group of 20 participants).

The primary aim is to explore whether a highly immersive VR system makes VR significantly more attention demanding/distracting, compared to No VR, and compared to a less immersive VR system (a plausible controlled see through goggles).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Distraction
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: No VR vs. immersive high tech VR; Behavioral: Plausible control vs immersive High Tech VR

Detailed Description

Healthy college student volunteers will participate in a repeated measure within subject trial studying attention using a divided attention paradigm.

One group of participants (16 healthy volunteers) will perform a simple attention demanding task during No VR for 2 minutes and they will perform the attention demanding task again during High Tech VR for 2 minutes.

Another group of 20 healthy volunteers will perform a simple attention demanding task during a less immersive see through VR (a plausible control condition) for 2 minutes and they will also perform the attention demanding task again during immersive High Tech VR for 2 minutes (treatment order randomized). This group will also rate their pain and anxiety during Quantitative Sensory Testing very brief thermal heat stimuli during No VR vs. during immersive high tech VR.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195
      • University of Washington

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Currently enrolled in a course at the University of Washington Psychology Dept., participating in the University of Washington (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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Sham Comparator: n = 16 participants: No VR condition vs. Immersive VR; Participants will perform a simple attention demanding task during No VR for 2 minutes, and again during a Immersive High Tech Virtual Reality game distraction. They will also rate how distracted they were and how hard it was to concentrate on the attention demanding task during each 2 minute task.	Behavioral: No VR vs. immersive high tech VR; No VR vs. immersive High Tech VR
Active Comparator: n = 20 participants: plausible control (see through VR) condition vs. immersive High Tech VR; 20 healthy volunteer participants will perform a simple attention demanding task during a plausible control (see through) VR for 2 minutes, and again during an immersive High Tech Virtual Reality distraction (treatment order randomized). They will also rate how distracted they were and how hard it was to concentrate on the attention demanding task during the 2 minute tasks. During Phase 2 they will also rate their pain and anxiety during a brief thermal stimulus Quantitative Sensory Testing) during No VR vs. during immersive High Tech VR.	Behavioral: Plausible control vs immersive High Tech VR; plausible control condition vs. immersive high tech VR

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
accuracy on an attention demanding cognitive test	Number of correct responses on a divided attention task	for n = 16, responses will be made 15 seconds after the VR condition vs. 15 seconds after the No VR during 2 minute sessions. For n = 20 subjects responses will be made 15 s after the plausible control condition, and 15 seconds after the immersive VR.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
graphic rating scale presence ratings	Graphic rating scale measures of patients illusion of "being there" in virtual reality.	measured immediately after each two minute VR session.
graphic rating scale subjective pain ratings	n = 20 participants report how much pain they experienced during No VR vs. during High Tech VR.	immediately after each brief Quantitative Sensory Testing thermal heat stimulus

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Graphic Rating Scale Difficulty performing the task and difficulty concentrating	subjective ratings of difficulty performing the simple attention task	immediately after each 2 minute session

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hunter Hoffman
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Hunter G Hoffman, Ph.D., University of Washington

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 24, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): November 24, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 23, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 23, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): September 26, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 6, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 3, 2024
• Last Verified: September 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: virtual reality; distraction
• Other Study ID Numbers: UWashington

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: de-identified individual data regarding participants gender, age, their accuracy on the simple attention task, and subjective ratings of difficulty performing the simple attention task, will be available upon to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: data set and data dictionary will be available indefinitely, beginning when the paper is officially published
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal (e.g, for meta-analysis).

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No