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Embodied Empathy; Virtual Reality and Experiencing Geriatrics

NCT03987269 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 41

Last updated 2019-06-18

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The Embodied Empathy pilot study proposes to use VR technology to create original narratives of real life patients from their own perspectives for medical students to embody. Instead of using an animated avatar, researchers will use live-action first-person 220 degree video to capture these vignettes. In "Virtual Body Swap: A New Feasible Tool to Be Explored in Health and Education," Oliveria discusses the impact of using an actual person as an avatar as opposed to animation. "Many possibilities stem from the concept of body swapping. The relationship between individuals and their own bodies has implications on their ego and own personality. Feeling to be in another person's skin and controlling another body's movement, can facilitate the development of empathy, playing with one's ego and emotions. Such experiments could, for example, be used as a theme for discussion and behavioral changes related to issues such as racism, altruism, inclusion and anorexia, among others" (Oliveria, Bertrand, Lesur, Palomo, Demarzo, and Cebolla, 2016). Although the study will not focus on a true one-to-one body swap, as in BeAnotherLab's The Machine To Be Another, the assertion of a real person as an avatar is essential to our project.

Conditions

  • Empathy

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Embodied Virtual Reality

The video will be formatted for viewing within a standard virtual reality headset. Once the video begins, subjects will follow the movements of the new body they are inhabiting in synchronicity to the video. Movement and haptic input include 1. Mimicking the hand gestures at the beginning in order to establish the body transfer illusion. 2. Shaking someone's hand 3. Someone holding the hand and elbow to assist them in standing, taking a few steps and returning to a seated position. 4. Shaking hands 5. Having their blood pressure taken 6. Having their pulse taken 7. Fill a pill organizer 8. Color a picture All of the above interactions will be facilitated by the two Co-PI's (Blatter, Ware). Blatter and Ware have been creating and performing similar Virtual Reality Embodiments with haptics for the past year, and to date, have performed hundreds of them for demos, colleagues, students and the public.

BEHAVIORAL

Narrative Video

The video will be formatted for a standard flat screen television. Participants will watch the video alone in a standard School of the Arts classroom.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Virginia Commonwealth University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Jill B Ware, MFA · Virginia Commonwealth University

  • John H Blatter, MFA · Virginia Commonwealth University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-04-19
Primary Completion
2019-05-12
Completion
2019-05-12

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03987269 on ClinicalTrials.gov