Effects of Feedback and Aging on Aiming Movements in Virtual Reality

February 23, 2026 updated by: Jean-Jacques Temprado, PhD, Aix Marseille Université

Performing Fitts' Tasks in Virtual Reality With and Without Augmented Feedback: a Comparison Between Young and Older Adults

This study has two main objectives: First, to better understand how a motor task commonly used by researchers, known as the Fitts' task, is performed in virtual reality. It consists of reaching a target, which may be large or small, by extending the right arm. This task is similar to movements commonly performed in everyday life. It is also increasingly used in virtual reality video games designed to train older adults or patients with functional limitations. Secondly, the investigators aim to describe how age influences performance in this task by comparing young adults and older adults. This can help better adapt the protocols used in virtual reality to the characteristics of users. It is of particular interest how movements change when the task becomes more difficult, whether these changes differ between young adults and older adults, and whether the information and feedback provided through virtual reality can improve the quality of motor performance. What is expected of participants: Participants will be seated comfortably, wearing a lightweight virtual reality headset and holding a controller in their right hand that will be used to reach for a target by keeping the controller within the target for about one second. The targets will vary in size, so some trials will seem easier and others more difficult. The task is simply to move as quickly as possible while remaining accurate (hitting the target). This instruction is important, and the experimenter will repeat it regularly during the experiment. The task will be performed under different conditions: sometimes participants will see the actual configuration of the experimental device in the physical world through the headset, and other times they will see the same configuration presented in virtual reality. In some virtual reality conditions, participants will also receive additional visual information indicating whether the target has been hit correctly. Short breaks are scheduled at regular intervals. Additional breaks can be asked for at any time when needed. The most important point is to avoid any fatigue or discomfort. If participants experience any, they are asked and encouraged to inform the experimenter. Before starting the experiment, participants will undergo a short training session to familiarize themselves with the task and the device.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Participants will perform a 3D Fitts' task with their dominant right hand, reaching from a fixed start button to a target positioned along the body's sagittal midline. The target will be placed 32 cm forward (anterior-posterior) and 24 cm upward (vertical) from the start position, yielding a resultant movement distance of 40 cm according to Pythagoras' theorem (a²+b²=c²). This distance will at most correspond to about 80% of maximal forward reach. Participants will be seated comfortably against a backrest in front of a table, with chair and table height as well as apparatus position adjusted individually so that the start button is aligned to an ergonomically optimal desk height, comparable to that used for writing. Movements will be performed using a handheld controller tracked by the built-in system of the head-mounted display (HMD). The HMD will be worn in all conditions: in the real world laboratory (R) condition, participants will view the physical apparatus through passthrough mode while in VR, they will see a visually identical virtual replication. Participants will only use their dominant right hand. Before each aiming movement, the right hand will be rested on the table while pointing at the start button. In the R condition, the start button will be represented by an open frame mounted on the table in front of the participant. The frame outlines a partial spherical contour that indicates the full size of a sphere and is oriented partly toward the participant and partly upward, allowing forward and upward movements toward the target without contacting a solid surface. The target will be a round sphere mounted on a thin vertical rod, into which participants must point without touching its surface. Both start button and target structures will be fabricated from lightweight 3D-printed plastic (2-3 mm thickness) with rounded edges. Target diameters correspond to 4 different values (14.1, 7.1, 3.5, or 1.8 cm), and the start button will be neutral yellow with a medium diameter (3 cm). In the VR condition, the setup is visually and spatially replicated. The start button is represented as a full grey sphere corresponding to the size indicated by the real-world frame, while the target sphere and vertical rod are rendered identically. Unlike the R condition, the full sphere is visible in VR, as there is no physical obstruction preventing participants from passing through it. Task difficulty will be manipulated via target width (14.1, 7.1, 3.5, or 1.8 cm), yielding indexes of difficulty (IDs) of 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 bits. Each trial will begin with the controller tip resting on the start sphere and participants will move as quickly and accurately as possible toward the target. A trial will be considered successful if the controller stays inside the target sphere continuously for 0.5 seconds. There will be four different feedback conditions which are described in detail in the section 'Arms and Interventions'. Participants will be recruited of two age groups: Either young adults aged 18-28 years or healthy older adults aged 65-75 years. Before starting the experiment (i.e., data recording), participants will complete a familiarization phase in all four feedback conditions presented in randomized order. In each condition, they will perform two blocks of 10 trials each at IDs 3 and 5 (distance of 40 cm and target sizes of 10.0 cm and 2.5 cm, respectively), with the order of IDs counterbalanced. This familiarization will comprise a total of 80 familiarization trials and serve to acquaint participants with the apparatus and the controller, VR immersion, and feedback conditions. After each condition, participants will provide a brief motion sickness rating using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire and have a short break (about 60s, longer if needed). The main experiment will consist of 160 trials per participant (4 feedback conditions × 4 IDs × 10 trials). Trials will be organized into blocks of 40, each comprising four consecutive runs of 10 trials at a single ID (e.g., 10 trials at ID 3, then ID 4, etc.). The order of IDs within each block will be randomized, and the condition order will be counterbalanced across participants using a Latin square design. The motion tracking system of the Meta Quest 3 will be used to capture 3D positional data of the handheld controller throughout each trial (nominal sampling frequency = 120 Hz). Movement onset will be considered to occur when the controller speed exceeds a threshold of 3 cm/s, and movement offset will be defined as the moment the speed drops below 3 cm/s (following target entry for successful trials). These thresholds, used in previous experiments, ensure that only intentional movement periods are captured. Movement time is defined as the time elapsed between movement onset and offset.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18-28 (young adults [YA] group) or 65-75 (healthy older adults [HOA] group)
  • Right-handed
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision (glasses or contact lenses permitted)
  • Clear and comfortable vision through the head-mounted display during a brief fitting (very bulky glasses may be incompatible)
  • No self-reported history of neurological or psychiatric disorders, as confirmed by participant report and cross-checked against a standardized list of relevant medications
  • Able to provide informed consent and follow experimental instructions in French or English

Additional criteria for HOA

  • Normal cognitive functioning (Montreal cognitive assessment [MoCA] score ≥ 26)
  • No self-reported acute or chronic pain in the dominant arm, shoulder, or elbow that would preclude performing repetitive arm movements in space.
  • Self-reported full functional range of motion in the dominant arm (able to extend the arm fully without discomfort or restriction)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals currently playing video games more than 5 hours/week.
  • Uncorrected visual, auditory, or motor impairments that would interfere with task performance.
  • Participant height outside the range of 1.50-1.80 m.
  • Self-reported diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease)
  • Self-reported use of medications known to significantly affect cognitive or motor function (a list of relevant medications will be presented during screening).
  • Cervical pain that could preclude wearing the VR headset during the full duration of the experimental session.
  • Self-reported history of severe motion sickness or vestibular issues that could be exacerbated by VR exposure
  • High susceptibility to cybersickness, as assessed via the Visually Induced Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire which was developed specifically for pre-exposure screening; cut-off: ≥ 12.
  • Individuals for whom the headset cannot be properly adjusted, e.g., due to an interpupillary distance outside the adjustment range of the head-mounted display (i.e., <53 mm or >75 mm).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Right-handed young adults (18 to 28 years)
Healthy right-handed young adults aged 18 to 28 years receiving instructions to complete Fitts' task in four different feedback conditions in randomized order: R-intrinsic, VR-intrinsic, VR-augmented global, and VR-augmented specific.
Behavioral: VR-augmented specific feedback
Augmented visual error feedback will indicate the type of error. Generally, the target turns blue whenever it is entered. After remaining inside for 1 second, the trial is confirmed and the target turns green. For any error, the target turns red: either directly from grey if the target was never entered, or after briefly turning blue when entered and exited. Errors further trigger written messages: overshoots show 'too long', undershoots 'too short', and other deviations display directional errors (too right/too left/too high/too low).
Behavioral: VR-augmented global feedback
Augmented visual error feedback will indicate trial outcome, with the target sphere changing color (green for correct hit; red for miss).
Behavioral: R-intrinsic feedback
Participants will view the physical apparatus. Inherent visual and proprioceptive feedback will be available but no augmented visual feedback.
Behavioral: VR-intrinsic feedback
The immersive virtual setup will be presented without augmented visual feedback; participants will rely on intrinsic feedback.
Experimental: Right-handed healthy older adults (65 to 75 years)
Healthy older adults (65 to 75 years) receiving instructions to complete Fitts' task in four different feedback conditions in randomized order: R-intrinsic, VR-intrinsic, VR-augmented global, and VR-augmented specific.
Behavioral: VR-augmented specific feedback
Augmented visual error feedback will indicate the type of error. Generally, the target turns blue whenever it is entered. After remaining inside for 1 second, the trial is confirmed and the target turns green. For any error, the target turns red: either directly from grey if the target was never entered, or after briefly turning blue when entered and exited. Errors further trigger written messages: overshoots show 'too long', undershoots 'too short', and other deviations display directional errors (too right/too left/too high/too low).
Behavioral: VR-augmented global feedback
Augmented visual error feedback will indicate trial outcome, with the target sphere changing color (green for correct hit; red for miss).
Behavioral: R-intrinsic feedback
Participants will view the physical apparatus. Inherent visual and proprioceptive feedback will be available but no augmented visual feedback.
Behavioral: VR-intrinsic feedback
The immersive virtual setup will be presented without augmented visual feedback; participants will rely on intrinsic feedback.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Slope of the efficiency function (Fitts' Law) across age groups and feedback conditions
Time Frame: Day 1 of 1
According to Fitts' Law, movement time increases linearly with task difficulty (index of difficulty; ID). This relationship is captured by the efficiency function, plotting movement time against ID. The slope of the efficiency function reflects an individual's information processing efficiency (IPE): steeper slopes indicate lower IPE, while shallower slopes indicate higher IPE. Prior studies conducted in real-world conditions show older adults have steeper slopes, suggesting reduced IPE. In VR, performance patterns such as longer movement times and more sub-movements suggest efficiency function slopes may further differ. Therefore, this outcome will systematically compare efficiency function slopes across age groups and feedback conditions in VR and real-world settings.
Day 1 of 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effects of feedback conditions and age on movement times [ms]
Time Frame: Day 1 of 1
It will be examined how feedback condition, task difficulty, and age group affect movement time (in ms) in virtual reality, and interactions between these factors will also be analyzed.
Day 1 of 1
Effects of feedback conditions and age on acceleration times [ms]
Time Frame: Day 1 of 1
It will be examined how feedback condition, task difficulty, and age group affect acceleration time (in ms) in virtual reality, and interactions between these factors will also be analyzed.
Day 1 of 1
Effects of feedback conditions and age on deceleration times [ms]
Time Frame: Day 1 of 1
It will be examined how feedback condition, task difficulty, and age group affect deceleration time (in ms) in virtual reality, and interactions between these factors will also be analyzed.
Day 1 of 1
Effects of feedback condition and age group on error rate [%]
Time Frame: Day 1 of 1
It will be examined how feedback condition, task difficulty, and age group affect error rate (in %) in virtual reality, and interactions between these factors will also be analyzed.
Day 1 of 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Aix Marseille Université

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jean-Jacques Temprado, Full professor, PhD, Aix Marseille Université

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB00012476-2025-25-11-451

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

IPD collected throughout this study will be used only for study purposes and will not be used with other research groups and/or in the context of other research projects.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Healthy Young Adults

Clinical Trials on VR-augmented specific feedback

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Gabon

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe