Development, Attention, and Inhibition Study
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Delay of Gratification.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: The Ability to Delay Gratification. Basic parameters: 4 years — 7 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Delay of Gratification: Life Habits of Delaying and Cascading Effects on Life Outcomes
Overview
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the associations of young children's early life experiences with delaying behaviors and links with later life outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do experiences with waiting in early childhood predict delaying behavior in context-specific ways? * Are links between delaying behavior and life outcomes impacted by social conventions, effort and choices around delaying, or other behaviors? Participants will: * Complete two delaying tasks with either a sweet or wrapped gift * Complete three "Simon says"-like games that measure inhibition, cognitive flexibility and proactive control * Answer a set of questions about academic readiness * Answer a set of questions about social conventions * Complete a waiting game on the computer while a camera records eye movements * Parents will answer questions about their child's behaviors and experiences at home * Participants will return after 1 year to repeat a subset of these measures
Detailed description
In sessions 1 and 2, 4-6-year-olds will complete a delay of gratification task (randomly assigned to one of two groups, to delay with either a sweet or a wrapped gift), the NASA Load Index to report perceived demand and effort for the delay of gratification task, a computerized delay choice measure (while pupillometric data is collected), a Go/No-Go task, the NIH Toolbox Dimensional Change Card Sort, a Track-It task, a task measuring sensitivity to social conventions, and Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement. Parents will complete the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), the REEF executive function questionnaire, and questionnaires about demographics and children's experiences waiting at mealtimes, when opening gifts, and in other contexts.
In session 3 (1 year after sessions 1 and 2), participants and parents will repeat the measures from sessions 1 and 2.
Interventions
- Other Delay of Gratification
Children will complete a delay of gratification task with 1 of 2 rewards
Primary outcome measures
- Choice Delay [Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention]
- Executive Functions [Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention]
- Social Conventions [Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention]
- Academic Readiness [Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention]
- Inhibitory Control (Go/No-Go) [Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention]
- Experiences Waiting at Home [Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention]
- Cognitive Flexibility (DCCS) [Time frame: Immediately after intervention and 1 year after intervention]
- Problem Behaviors [Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- Pupil dilation during delayed choice [Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention]
- Behavior while delaying [Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention]
- Subjective Effort [Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention]
- Proactive Control [Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention]
- Child Temperment [Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention]
Eligibility criteria
Typically developing children will be recruited. Participants will be pre-screened for developmental disorders.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- Center for Mind and Brain — Davis
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06605001 · 1518244 · R01HD086184