Shaping Tolerance for Delayed Rewards

Description

Deficits in self-control are of major public health relevance as they contribute to several negative outcomes for both individuals and society. For children, developing self-control is a critically important step toward success in academic settings and social relationships, yet there are few non-pharmacological approaches that have been successful in increasing self-control. We found in our earlier studies that self-control can be increased in preschool-aged children with high impulsivity by using games in which they practice gradually increasing wait-time for larger, more delayed rewards. We are performing this current study to test if this training to increase self-control can be increased using mobile app technology, with computerized game time being used as a reward.

Conditions

Impulsivity

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Study Overview

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Study Details

Study overview

Deficits in self-control are of major public health relevance as they contribute to several negative outcomes for both individuals and society. For children, developing self-control is a critically important step toward success in academic settings and social relationships, yet there are few non-pharmacological approaches that have been successful in increasing self-control. We found in our earlier studies that self-control can be increased in preschool-aged children with high impulsivity by using games in which they practice gradually increasing wait-time for larger, more delayed rewards. We are performing this current study to test if this training to increase self-control can be increased using mobile app technology, with computerized game time being used as a reward.

Feasibility of Shaping Tolerance for Delayed Rewards in Impulsive 3-6 Year Olds

Shaping Tolerance for Delayed Rewards

Condition
Impulsivity
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Sacramento

UC Davis MIND Institute, Sacramento, California, United States, 95817

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Age 3-6 years
  • * 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.
  • * Children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability (by parent or teacher report or the NIH Toolbox Picture Vocabulary Test).

Ages Eligible for Study

3 Years to 6 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

University of California, Davis,

Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D., PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, UC Davis MIND Institute

Study Record Dates

2026-05