Effects of Natural Sounds on Attention Restoration in Virtual Reality (VEARS)

Nanyang Technological University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Cognitive Fatigue; Working Memory; Mental Fatigue; Heart Rate Variability; Behavioral Performance

Treatments: Other: No masking sound; Other: Masking Sound

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05679869

COT-V4-2020-1-S005

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to examine whether listening to natural sounds in a noisy virtual reality environment compared to no natural sounds influences physiological markers.

Full description

The investigators hypothesize that listening to natural sounds has restorative effects on attention by supporting greater use of involuntary attention. This generates the prediction that exposure to natural sounds in the context of a noisy environment will have greater restorative effects on attention (i.e., physiological) as compared to the control group (exposed to noise only). Individual differences (i.e., age, gender, caffeine and food intake, body mass index, skin temperature, noise sensitivity, sleep quality, baseline physiology and behavioural performance) will be examined and accounted for.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Singapore-based
• Non-clinical
• 18-35years

Exclusion criteria

• Individuals with hearing difficulties or failing to meet the minimal threshold for normal hearing
• Individuals with a history of ear, developmental, neurological, or psychiatric disorder

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

VR Simulated Outdoor Environment

Active Comparator group

Description:

Exposure to recorded outdoor environmental sounds

Treatment:

Other: No masking sound

VR Simulated Outdoor Environment with Masking Sounds

Experimental group

Description:

Exposure to recorded outdoor environmental sounds augmented with masking sounds

Treatment:

Other: Masking Sound