Center for Mind and Brain
Davis, California, 95618, United States
Location status: Recruiting
Recruiting
NCT Number: NCT06605001
Development, Attention, and Inhibition Study
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
Recruiting
Interested in participating?
Request InfoKey information
Conditions
Age range
4 year–7 year
Sex eligibility
All sexes
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Primary location
About this study
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.
Who can participate
Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Typically developing children will be recruited. Participants will be pre-screened for developmental disorders.
Treatment and study plan
Delay of Gratification
OtherChildren will complete a delay of gratification task with 1 of 2 rewards
Primary outcomes
-
Choice Delay
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Pattern of waiting behavior represented by area under the curve (AUC) for wait times.
-
Executive Functions
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Composite scores from the REEF, a questionnaire measuring executive functioning.
-
Social Conventions
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Social task measuring adherence to social conventions.
-
Academic Readiness
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement: Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems standardized scores.
-
Inhibitory Control (Go/No-Go)
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Accuracy (No-Go trials) during the Go/No-Go inhibitory control task.
-
Experiences Waiting at Home
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Composite score from a questionnaire developed for this study, measuring experiences with waiting.
-
Cognitive Flexibility (DCCS)
Time frame: Immediately after intervention and 1 year after intervention
Accuracy (perseveration errors) during the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task.
-
Problem Behaviors
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Composite and sub-scale scores from CBCL, a questionnaire measuring children's problem behaviors.
Secondary outcomes
-
Pupil dilation during delayed choice
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Pupil dilation while waiting for expected reward, or skipping for a new trial.
-
Behavior while delaying
Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Video coding of targeted behaviors (i.e., anticipatory behavior) during delay of gratification.
-
Subjective Effort
Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Self-reported demand and effort during the delay of gratification task on the NASA Task Load index.
-
Proactive Control
Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Accuracy during the Track-It proactive control task.
-
Child Temperment
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Composite score from the CBQ, a questionnaire measuring child temperament.
Study contacts
Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.
Rachel Foster, B.S.
CONTACT
Yuko Munakata, PhD
CONTACT
Sponsors and collaborators
Lead sponsor
University of California, Davis
Other
Collaborators
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Registry information
Official study title
Delay of Gratification: Life Habits of Delaying and Cascading Effects on Life Outcomes
Acronym: DAISY
Important dates
- Study start
- 2024
- Primary completion
- 2026
- Study completion
- 2026
- First posted
- Sep 20, 2024
- Registry last updated
- Apr 15, 2026
OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.
View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.
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