Use of Virtual Reality to Communicate Concepts of Genomics to the General Public

NCT00316056 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 06014306-HG-0143
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 346
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will investigate how people learn best about genetics. It involves participating in activities in NHGRI's Immersive Virtual Environment Laboratory (IVE lab), where digital "virtual worlds" are created that appear to surround the subject when he or she wears a head-mounted display. English-speaking men and women between 18 and 40 years of age may be eligible for this study. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups, each of which receives a different type of information, once in the IVE lab. Subjects complete a questionnaire before and after performing the activities in the lab. The questionnaire evaluates the subject's knowledge of genetics and tests some reading and number skills. ...

Conditions

Healthy; Learning; Communication

Keywords

Genetic Literacy; Learning; Genetic Knowledge; Public Understanding of Science; Science Education; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may not qualify if:

• All participants in this study will be healthy adult volunteers. Eligibility criteria for the study are: (1) being 18-40 years of age; (2) being able to speak English and having basic English reading and writing skills; and (3) not having taken a genetics course in the past five years. Both men and women will be included in the study. We will exclude women in their last trimester of pregnancy from the study, due to the small chance of study participants tripping or bumping into walls.
• Because we are interested in how members of the general public learn best about genomic topics, participants in this study will be healthy adults. Individuals who are particularly susceptible to motion sickness will be excluded. Therefore, all participants will be screened for the following conditions prior to enrollment in the study: self-reported diagnosis with epilepsy, low vision, hearing problems, or vestibular disorders (e.g., dizziness, vertigo, motion sickness).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Bailenson JN, Blascovich J, Beall AC, Loomis JM. Interpersonal distance in immersive virtual environments. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2003 Jul;29(7):819-33. doi: 10.1177/0146167203029007002.

  PMID: 15018671 BACKGROUND

• Baker DW, Williams MV, Parker RM, Gazmararian JA, Nurss J. Development of a brief test to measure functional health literacy. Patient Educ Couns. 1999 Sep;38(1):33-42. doi: 10.1016/s0738-3991(98)00116-5.

  PMID: 14528569 BACKGROUND

• Collins FS, McKusick VA. Implications of the Human Genome Project for medical science. JAMA. 2001 Feb 7;285(5):540-4. doi: 10.1001/jama.285.5.540.

  PMID: 11176855 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Communication

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 18, 2006
• First Posted: April 19, 2006
• Study Start: April 14, 2006
• Primary Completion: October 17, 2007
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2009-08-25

Locations

US (1)