Empathy and Virtual Reality (VR)

Enrolling by invitation · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Virtual Reality, Fear

In brief

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

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07314788

Run by

University of Miami

People needed

110

Starts

2026-04-15

Expected to finish

2027-05-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-16

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 25. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• College-aged adults (18-25 years old)
• English-speaking
• Normal or corrected vision.
• Able to provide consent.

You may not qualify if…

• Presence of a significant and/or unstable medical illness (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological disorder) or head trauma (e.g., concussion).
• Additional exclusion criteria apply to virtual reality (VR):
• 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.

Where it is running

• University of Miami — Coral Gables, Florida, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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