Attention and Achievement: A Mind Wandering Investigation

Attention Disturbances Clinical Trial

Official title:

Attention and Achievement (A Subproject Affiliated With the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities or TCLD)

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05296252
• Other study ID #: 00000568
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: May 11, 2022
• Est. completion date: June 15, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: May 2022
• Source: University of Houston
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study assesses the impact of mind-wandering on reading and math.

Description:

This study assesses the impact of mind-wandering on reading and math. Specifically 120 middle school student participants will receive descriptive measures (of achievement, attention and related factors including mind-wandering), and will receive a brief (~30 min) lesson in reading and math (order counterbalanced). Participants will receive a brief pre-test, the lesson, and then a post-test on the reading and math outcomes. 75% of the participants will receive a brief manipulation that sets up the influence of mind-wandering, as well as redirects when probe-caught mind-wandering occurs. The remaining participants will receive only redirects, and only randomly. Among participants to receive the mind-wandering manipulation, an equal number will receive this only for reading, only for math, and for both reading and math.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 53
• Est. completion date: June 15, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: June 15, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 11 Years to 15 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• enrollment in schools where we have permission to conduct the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• students known to be enrolled in separate curricula (e.g., life-skills classes)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Attention Disturbances

Intervention

Behavioral:
• mind-wandering intervention
Participants in this condition receive a brief introduction to the potential impact of mind-wandering (before learning, proactive), and are redirected to lesson if "probe-caught" mind-wandering are endorsed (during learning, reactive)
• mind-wandering comparison
Participants in this condition receive no introduction, and only redirection, and the redirection is random, not in reaction to mind-wandering

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	University of Houston	Houston	Texas

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Houston

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Investigator Developed Items Derived From Reading Content Being Taught	Participants will answer multiple choice questions regarding the reading material being taught, and the key index will the raw score number correct. The investigators call the scale "Sleep and Dreams" (after the content the participant is reading about), and the possible score range will be 0 (min) to 24 (max), with higher scores meaning better comprehension of the material.	administered one time immediately following the single reading learning session on day 1
Primary	Investigator Developed Items Derived From Math Content Being Taught	Participants will answer multiple choice questions regarding the math material being taught, and the key index will the raw score number correct. The investigators call the scale "Circles" (after the content being taught), and the possible score range will be 0 (min) to 24 (max), with higher scores meaning better comprehension of the material.	adminstered one time immediately following the single math learning session on day 1
Secondary	Investigator Developed Probe-Caught Mind-Wandering	During the learning (of the reading and math content), participants are prompted on several occasions as to whether their mind was wandering during the lesson. This is a single item multiple/choice scale (called Probe-Caught Mind Wandering), with the range being 0 (min) to 12 (max), with lower scores indicating the better outcome (less mind wandering)	On 12 occasions interspersed during each of the math and reading learning sessions, on day 1 only.