Examining the Effectiveness of Cognitive Training

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Cognitive Change

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

True Cognitive Training Program

The training program is a personal device-based adaptive version of a visual N-back task.

BEHAVIORAL

Control Cognitive Training Program

The training program is a personal device-based adaptive version of a knowledge task (control).

BEHAVIORAL

Positive Expectation Induction

The message given to the participants emphasizes that the given training results in a positive change in cognitive abilities.

BEHAVIORAL

Negative Expectation Induction

The message given to the participants emphasizes that the given training results in a negative change in cognitive abilities.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Riverside

  collaborator OTHER

• University of California, Irvine

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Wisconsin, Madison

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Aaron Seitz, PhD · University of California, Riverside

• Susanne Jaeggi, PhD · University of California, Irvine

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-05-11

Primary Completion

2022-08-09

Completion

2022-08-09

Countries

• United States

Study Locations