Using Virtual Reality to Investigate Psychological Factors in Paranoia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating social factors and affective processes in individuals with clinical paranoia: a virtual reality study.
IRAS ID
172018
Contact name
Miriam Fornells-Ambrojo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2015, Data Protection Number
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The research aims to investigate psychological factors in paranoia, using a virtual reality paradigm. It aims to replicate Elenbaas' (2013) study using a clinical population of male individuals with paranoia. In addition to this, the research is split into two parts.
Part 1: The impact of social factors: This part of the research uses a benign virtual reality paradigm to explore the effect of social factors on participants' subjective and objective perceptions of a virtual reality flat-mate avatar. Several questionnaire measures of social factors will be collected.
Part 2: Self-focussed attention: This part of the research will use the virtual reality paradigm to investigate whether high levels of self-focused attention (correlating with high level of social anxiety) affects an individual with paranoia's ability to detect behaviour in an avatar that promotes trust (contingent behaviour e.g. nodding just after a question is asked).REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1197
Date of REC Opinion
10 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion