Recruiting

Computer Character

Sponsor:

Northeastern University

Code:

NCT06435819

Conditions

Healthy

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA)

Study Details

Brief summary:

The investigators will evaluate a computer-animated character that explains medical illustrations to people, comparing the character to having people understand the illustrations on their own, and also comparing the computer character on a computer display to one in immersive virtual reality. The investigators will determine which method leads to the best understanding and lowest anxiety.

Conditions

Healthy

Study ID

NCT06435819

Start date

Sep 5, 2025

Status verified date

Sep, 2025

Completion date

Sep 1, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Aug 1, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Over 18 years old
  • Speaks English or Spanish fluently
  • Is able to independently consent
  • Has adequate corrected vision to read patient education documents

Exclusion Criteria:

\* None

Study Design

Enrollment

300 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: ECA-2D

Participants read a patient education document with the assistance of an embodied conversational agent rendered in 2D on a computer monitor.

experimental: ECA-3D

Participants read a patient education document with the assistance of an embodied conversational agent in virtual reality.

no intervention: CONTROL

Participants read a patient education document without assistance.

Interventions

Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA)

A computer-animated character that can explain a medical illustration to laypersons.

Primary outcome measure

  • Knowledge [ Time Frame: Baseline and 30 minutes ]
  • State Anxiety scale from State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [ Time Frame: 30 minutes ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Timothy Bickmore, PhD

6173735477t.bickmore@northeastern.edu

Locations

Northeastern University

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115

Contacts

Madison Blain

617-858-6727m.blain@northeastern.edu

Tim Bickmore, PhD

617-373-5477t.bickmore@northeastern.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Northeastern University

Last update posted

Oct 3, 2025

Last verified

Sep, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Northeastern University on 2025-10-03.