Examining the Effectiveness of Cognitive Training
Completed · Not applicable · Has a placebo group
Conditions studied: Cognitive Change
In brief
The present study addresses whether placebo effects can possibly account for previous findings in the field, as well as ascertains whether placebo-based mechanisms can be deliberately harnessed for impact. The design is a 2 (positive expectations/negative expectations) x 2 (true cognitive training intervention x control cognitive training intervention) Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). Participants will be recruited from site-affiliated participant pools or email lists. Participants will first undergo a pre-test battery where various cognitive abilities are assessed via computerized programs. They will also fill out various surveys about personality traits/internal dispositions that may predict the extent to which they are susceptible to placebo effects. After pre-testing, participants will be randomized to an expectations group (positive/negative) and a training protocol (active/control). Participants are then given their group appropriate expectation script. In the positive expectations group, participants receive training described as having previous research supporting its use as a method to enhance cognitive abilities. In the negative expectations group, participants receive training described as having previous research suggesting that it is unlikely to change cognitive abilities or may even decrease cognitive abilities. The participants will then be given instructions regarding how to do their training task. Participants will be asked to complete 10 sessions of training within 15 days. The active training will be a standard working memory (N-back) training task. The control training will be a trivia/quiz training task. After they have completed 10 sessions, participants will complete a "mid-test" session to undergo a battery of perceptual/cognitive tasks. Participants will be told that the perceptual/cognitive tests are identical to those that they took at pre-test. However, in reality, for participants in the "positive expectations" groups, these will be altered to actually be easier than they were at pre-test. For participants in the "negative expectations" groups the tasks will be made more difficult. Participants will then be asked to complete another set of 10 training sessions on their devices within 15 days before completing the post-test. The post-test will be identical to the pre-test. All participants will then be extensively debriefed (e.g., all deceptions will be made clear). On a separate day, participants will then complete a second post-test that is identical to the pre-test and first-post test.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT04344028
- Run by
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- People needed
- 287
- Starts
- 2020-05-11
- Expected to finish
- 2022-08-09
- Last updated by the study team
- 2025-05-06
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Self-reported normal or corrected-to-normal vision
- No known neurological impairments (this includes any neurological impairments that would negatively impact participants' ability to perform perceptual or cognitive tasks or to complete long-term cognitive training; this could include neurological damage due to stroke in various brain areas; seizure conditions that would preclude the ability to view flashing images; motor control issues that preclude the ability to respond via button presses; etc.).
- Access to the internet, a computer, and a hand-held device, such as a cell phone or tablet (online version only)
You may not qualify if…
- Self-reported non-normal or non-corrected-to-normal vision
- Neurological impairments
- No access to the internet, a computer, or a hand-held device (online version only)
Where it is running
- University of California, Irvine — Irvine, California, United States
- University of California, Riverside — Riverside, California, United States
- University of Wisconsin - Madison — Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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