Study Results
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Basic Information
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RECRUITING
NA
50 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2017-09-12
2026-05-31
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Our objective in this current proof-of-concept study is to replicate and extend our earlier finding (Schweitzer \& Sulzer-Azaroff, 1988) in which we demonstrated that self-control could be increased in preschool-aged children with high rates of impulsivity by using a "shaping" procedure whereby delays to larger, more delayed rewards were gradually increased. In this study we will aim to show that shaping self-control can be implemented using more sophisticated experimental design and mobile app technology.
A principal goal of this R03 pilot project is to refine the procedural methods to ensure that they are developmentally-appropriate using a well-controlled design and procedures. Our plan is to develop and implement a mobile application ("app"), "Delay Tolerance Application" (DelTA) that administers real-time rewards in a delay discounting procedure, in which the child will choose between an immediate, shorter game playing and a delayed, longer version of playing the same game.
This project will assess the feasibility of delivering the procedure via a mobile app and test if computerized games are effective rewards in a delay discounting context for young children (3-6 years) given that previous methods used immediately consumable rewards (e.g., candy). Positive findings from this proof-of-concept project will support future clinical trial projects to improve self-control and the use of the procedure for other interventions. The app may eventually serve as a targeted, precision intervention for children who exhibit elevated impulsivity.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
Group 1: Treatment; this group begins 6-week training with the self-control shaping application immediately after baseline.
Group 2: Wait-list Control; After baseline, this group waits for 6-weeks before completing another pre-training assessment and then starts the 6-week training with the self-control application.
BASIC_SCIENCE
SINGLE
Members of the research team who are designated as video coders for the Effortful Control tasks will be blind to the group assignment of the participants in the video recordings.
Study Groups
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Treatment
Participants in the Experimental arm will begin the Shaping Delay Tolerance behavioral intervention immediately after baseline, and this training will last for about 6 weeks.
Shaping Delay Tolerance
Participants 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.
Wait-list Control
After baseline, participants in the Wait-list Control arm will wait for about 6-weeks before entering the pre-treatment phase, which is a repeat of effortful control assessments and behavior questionnaires, and then they will begin training for with the Shaping Delay Tolerance behavioral intervention.
Shaping Delay Tolerance
Participants 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.
Interventions
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Shaping Delay Tolerance
Participants 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.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* 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.
Exclusion Criteria
3 Years
6 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
NIH
University of California, Davis
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Principal Investigators
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Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D.
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
UC Davis MIND Institute
Locations
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UC Davis MIND Institute
Sacramento, California, United States
Countries
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Central Contacts
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Facility Contacts
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References
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Schweitzer JB, Sulzer-Azaroff B. Self-control: teaching tolerance for delay in impulsive children. J Exp Anal Behav. 1988 Sep;50(2):173-86. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1988.50-173.
Schweitzer JB, Sulzer-Azaroff B. Self-control in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: effects of added stimulation and time. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1995 May;36(4):671-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1995.tb02321.x.
McGoey KE, DuPaul GJ, Haley E, et al. Parent and teacher ratings of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in preschool: the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2007;29:269.
Dunn LM, Dunn DM. Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Fourth Edition (PPVT-4). 2006. Toronto; Pearson: 2006.
Hanley GP, Heal NA, Tiger JH, Ingvarsson ET. Evaluation of a class wide teaching program for developing preschool life skills. J Appl Behav Anal. 2007 Summer;40(2):277-300. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2007.57-06.
Rothbart MK, Ahadi SA, Hershey KL, Fisher P. Investigations of temperament at three to seven years: the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. Child Dev. 2001 Sep-Oct;72(5):1394-408. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.00355.
Putnam SP, Rothbart MK. Development of short and very short forms of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. J Pers Assess. 2006 Aug;87(1):102-12. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa8701_09.
Gagne JR, Van Hulle CA, Aksan N, Essex MJ, Goldsmith HH. Deriving childhood temperament measures from emotion-eliciting behavioral episodes: scale construction and initial validation. Psychol Assess. 2011 Jun;23(2):337-53. doi: 10.1037/a0021746.
Laird NM, Ware JH. Random-effects models for longitudinal data. Biometrics. 1982 Dec;38(4):963-74.
Liang K, Zeger S. Longitudinal data analysis using generalized linear models. Biometrika 73:13-22; 1986.
Other Identifiers
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921404
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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