Shaping Tolerance for Delayed Rewards
ConditionImpulsivity
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age3-6
SponsorUniversity of California, Davis
About this trial
Deficits in self-control are of major public health relevance as they contribute to several negative outcomes for both individuals and society. For children, developing self-control is a critically important step toward success in academic settings and social relationships, yet there are few non-pharmacological approaches that have been successful in increasing self-control. We found in our earlier studies that self-control can be increased in preschool-aged children with high impulsivity by using games in which they practice gradually increasing wait-time for larger, more delayed rewards. We are performing this current study to test if this training to increase self-control can be increased using mobile app technology, with computerized game time being used as a reward.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age 3-6 years
Hyperactivity/Impulsivity subscale scores of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version (children 3 to 4 years of age) or the Attention and Behavior Scale (children 5 to 6 years of age) ≥ 90th percentile from either the parent or teacher's responses
Physically and visually able to use the tablet, as determined by pre-assessment performance
Children taking psychotropic medication will be included, but must maintain the same medication and dose over the course of the study and for each assessment and exhibit elevated levels of impulsivity based on parent or teacher ratings while medicated.
Disqualifiers
Children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability (by parent or teacher report or the NIH Toolbox Picture Vocabulary Test).
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Shaping Delay Tolerance
BehavioralParticipants will be introduced to an adaptive tablet-based application that asks the child to choose between two options: 1) a shorter duration of game play that begins immediately, or 2) a longer duration of game play that begins after a delay. Depending on the child's choices, the application alters the pre-reward delay with the intent of training the child to tolerate longer delays for larger rewards (i.e., more game play). Children may participate in up to 25 approximately 30-minute training sessions over 3-6 weeks.
Treatment groups
50 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: TreatmentExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Wait-list ControlActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Indifference point
The indifference point on the tablet-task assessment is defined as the delay interval at which the child chooses 50% longer, larger rewards and 50% shorter, smaller rewards. Investigators hypothesize that the shaping group will have greater increases in their indifference points than the waitlist control group.
Time frame
Up to 6 weeks2
Percent change in preference for longer, larger (LL) rewards
The percentage of trials in which the child selects the longer, larger (LL) reward option during the tablet-task assessment will be recorded. Investigators hypothesize that the shaping group will have greater increases in the percentage of trials for which they choose the LL rewards compared to the waitlist control group.
Time frame
Up to 6 weeksSecondary outcomes
1
ADHD-RS-IV Preschool Version and Attention and Behavior Rating Form
Parent and teacher ratings regarding the frequency of inattentive and hyperactivity/impulsivity ADHD symptoms. Investigators predict that the shaping group will have better improvement in parent and teacher of ratings of impulsivity than the waitlist control group.
Time frame
Up to 6 weeks2
The Preschool Life Skills Questionnaire
A 13-item teacher scale that assesses behaviors noted as important to educators in predicting preschool success: instruction following, functional communication, delay tolerance, and friendship skills. Investigators predict the greatest change in the delay tolerance scale in the shaping group compared to the waitlist control.
Time frame
Up to 6 weeks3
The Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ)
A highly differentiated assessment of temperament in early to middle childhood. Investigators predict the greatest change in the shaping group compared to the waitlist control.
Time frame
Up to 6 weeks4
Snack Delay Task
An assessment of delay of gratification. In this task, the child is invited to play a game in which he or she is asked to wait for varying intervals (5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds) before they can a a parent-approved treat. Behavior is coded for latency to touch and eat the snack (seconds). Investigators predict that the shaping group will have better improvement in delay of gratification in the Snack Delay Task compared to the waitlist control group.
Time frame
Up to 6 weeksSponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
University of California, Davis
Lead sponsor
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov