Effects of Feedback and Aging on Aiming Movements in Virtual Reality

NCT07435506 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IRB00012476-2025-25-11-451
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Healthy Older Adults; Healthy Young Adults

Keywords

Virtual reality; Motor-cognitive; Interactions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Slope of the efficiency function (Fitts' Law) across age groups and feedback conditions

  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 Outcomes (4)

• Effects of feedback conditions and age on movement times [ms]

  Day 1 of 1

• Effects of feedback conditions and age on acceleration times [ms]

  Day 1 of 1

• Effects of feedback conditions and age on deceleration times [ms]

  Day 1 of 1

• Effects of feedback condition and age group on error rate [%]

  Day 1 of 1

Study Arms (2)

Right-handed young adults (18 to 28 years)

EXPERIMENTAL

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; Behavioral: VR-augmented global feedback; Behavioral: R-intrinsic feedback; Behavioral: VR-intrinsic feedback

Right-handed healthy older adults (65 to 75 years)

EXPERIMENTAL

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; Behavioral: VR-augmented global feedback; Behavioral: R-intrinsic feedback; Behavioral: VR-intrinsic feedback

Interventions

VR-augmented specific feedback BEHAVIORAL

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).

Right-handed healthy older adults (65 to 75 years); Right-handed young adults (18 to 28 years)

VR-augmented global feedback BEHAVIORAL

Augmented visual error feedback will indicate trial outcome, with the target sphere changing color (green for correct hit; red for miss).

Right-handed healthy older adults (65 to 75 years); Right-handed young adults (18 to 28 years)

R-intrinsic feedback BEHAVIORAL

Participants will view the physical apparatus. Inherent visual and proprioceptive feedback will be available but no augmented visual feedback.

Right-handed healthy older adults (65 to 75 years); Right-handed young adults (18 to 28 years)

VR-intrinsic feedback BEHAVIORAL

The immersive virtual setup will be presented without augmented visual feedback; participants will rely on intrinsic feedback.

Right-handed healthy older adults (65 to 75 years); Right-handed young adults (18 to 28 years)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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)

You may not qualify if:

• 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).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Aix Marseille Université: lead

Study Sites (1)

Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Aix Marseille University - Campus Luminy

Marseille, 13009, France

Location

Related Publications (12)

• Voelcker-Rehage C, Godde B, Staudinger UM. Cardiovascular and coordination training differentially improve cognitive performance and neural processing in older adults. Front Hum Neurosci. 2011 Mar 17;5:26. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2011.00026. eCollection 2011.

  PMID: 21441997 BACKGROUND

• Sleimen-Malkoun R, Temprado JJ, Berton E. Age-related dedifferentiation of cognitive and motor slowing: insight from the comparison of Hick-Hyman and Fitts' laws. Front Aging Neurosci. 2013 Oct 10;5:62. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2013.00062. eCollection 2013.

  PMID: 24137129 BACKGROUND

• Temprado JJ, Torre MM, Langeard A, Julien-Vintrou M, Devillers-Reolon L, Sleimen-Malkoun R, Berton E. Intentional Switching Between Bimanual Coordination Patterns in Older Adults: Is It Mediated by Inhibition Processes? Front Aging Neurosci. 2020 Feb 18;12:29. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00029. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 32132919 BACKGROUND

• Temprado JJ, Sleimen-Malkoun R, Lemaire P, Rey-Robert B, Retornaz F, Berton E. Aging of sensorimotor processes: a systematic study in Fitts' task. Exp Brain Res. 2013 Jul;228(1):105-16. doi: 10.1007/s00221-013-3542-0. Epub 2013 May 7.

  PMID: 23649969 BACKGROUND

• Niemann C, Godde B, Voelcker-Rehage C. Not only cardiovascular, but also coordinative exercise increases hippocampal volume in older adults. Front Aging Neurosci. 2014 Aug 4;6:170. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00170. eCollection 2014.

  PMID: 25165446 BACKGROUND

• McAnally K, Wallis G. Visual-haptic integration, action and embodiment in virtual reality. Psychol Res. 2022 Sep;86(6):1847-1857. doi: 10.1007/s00426-021-01613-3. Epub 2021 Oct 28.

  PMID: 34709463 BACKGROUND

• Matthews MJ, Yusuf M, Doyle C, Thompson C. Quadrupedal movement training improves markers of cognition and joint repositioning. Hum Mov Sci. 2016 Jun;47:70-80. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2016.02.002. Epub 2016 Feb 17.

  PMID: 26896559 BACKGROUND

• Kourtesis P, Vizcay S, Marchal M, Pacchierotti C, Argelaguet F. Action-Specific Perception &amp; Performance on a Fitts's Law Task in Virtual Reality: The Role of Haptic Feedback. IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2022 Nov;28(11):3715-3726. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2022.3203003. Epub 2022 Oct 21.

  PMID: 36048989 BACKGROUND

• FITTS PM. The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. J Exp Psychol. 1954 Jun;47(6):381-91. No abstract available.

  PMID: 13174710 BACKGROUND

• FITTS PM, PETERSON JR. INFORMATION CAPACITY OF DISCRETE MOTOR RESPONSES. J Exp Psychol. 1964 Feb;67:103-12. doi: 10.1037/h0045689. No abstract available.

  PMID: 14114905 BACKGROUND

• Batmaz AU, Stuerzlinger W. Effective Throughput Analysis of Different Task Execution Strategies for Mid-Air Fitts' Tasks in Virtual Reality. IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2022 Nov;28(11):3939-3947. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2022.3203105. Epub 2022 Oct 21.

  PMID: 36044498 BACKGROUND

• Budde H, Voelcker-Rehage C, Pietrabyk-Kendziorra S, Ribeiro P, Tidow G. Acute coordinative exercise improves attentional performance in adolescents. Neurosci Lett. 2008 Aug 22;441(2):219-23. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.06.024. Epub 2008 Jun 13.

  PMID: 18602754 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Jean-Jacques Temprado, Full professor, PhD

  Aix Marseille Université

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Sophia Hanke, M.Sc.

CONTACT

+491607987923; sophia.hanke@univ-amu.fr

Jean-Jacques Temprado, Full professor, PhD

CONTACT

jean-jacques.temprado@univ-amu.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Full professor

Model Details: 2 groups (Young and Older adults) having to perform reaching movements in virtual reality will be compared in different conditions of augmented feedback.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 3, 2026
• First Posted: February 27, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: May 31, 2026
• Study Completion: June 1, 2026
• Last Updated: February 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)