Games & Well-Being Study

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Adolescent Behavior; Attentional Processing
• Interventions: Other: Prosocial Training Intervention Game; Other: Attention Training Intervention Game; Other: Control for Prosocial Intervention; Other: Control for Attention Intervention

• Registration Number: NCT01886911
• Lead Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Brief Summary

This project is focused on the neural and behavioral correlates of two different videos games that will be used as training tools. The two video games, developed by the Games Learning Society research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, are tailored to train mindfulness, particularly the regulation of attention; and prosocial behavior, especially sensitivity to others, in adolescents. This study will evaluate the hypothesis that systematic playing of mindfulness and prosocial games will change brain function in specific attentional, social and emotional circuits in potentially beneficial ways, and will impact performance on cognitive tasks of attention, and on measures of social cue perception and the propensity to share and behave altruistically. The investigators will employ behavioral and functional MRI-based neuroimaging measures to evaluate the investigators hypothesis.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2013-06
• Study First Submitted: 2013-06-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2013-06-21
• Study First Posted: 2013-06-26
• Primary Completion: 2014-03
• Study Completion: 2015-05
• Status Verified: 2015-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-09-30
• Last Update Posted: 2015-10-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 192

Inclusion Criteria

• Fluent English speaker
• Enrolled in 7th or 8th grade

Exclusion Criteria

• Currently on psychotropic medications

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Prosocial Training Intervention Game	Prosocial Training Intervention Game	The prosocial intervention group, which we expect will be play the experimental prosocial training game for 2 weeks (plus or minus 7 days).
Attention Training Intervention Game	Attention Training Intervention Game	The attention intervention group, which we expect will be play the experimental attention training game for 2 weeks (plus or minus 7 days).
Control for Prosocial Intervention	Control for Prosocial Intervention	This is an active control group. We expect subjects in this group to play a control game for 2 weeks (plus or minus 7 days).
Control for Attention Intervention	Control for Attention Intervention	Attentional Control Game is an active control group. We expect subjects in this group to play a control game for 2 weeks (plus or minus 7 days).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in behavioral measures	baseline and up to 3 weeks	Change in behavioral measures before and after attentional video game training. Timeframe is up to 7 days following the end of the 2 week game playing period.
Change from baseline in fMRI	baseline and up to 3 weeks	Change in fMRI neural markers of empathic accuracy before and after attentional video game training. Timeframe is up to 7 days following the 2 week game playing period.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Wisconsin - Madison; 🇺🇸 Madison, Wisconsin, United States