SmokingNCT01458834
Attentional Training for Smoking Cessation Via Handheld Device or Personal Computer
A study testing Attention bias modification task in people with Smoking, run by Boston University Charles River Campus at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Several studies indicate that cigarette smokers show an attentional bias for cigarette-related cues, meaning that they more quickly detect and attend to and have more difficulty disengaging in cigarette-related information than neutral information. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Smoking
- What is being tested?
- Attention bias modification task
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Sep 2011to Dec 2012
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18-65.
- Familiarity with a computer keyboard and mouse.
- Must own a iPhone, iPod Touch, or Google Android-based phone (such as the Droid or Nexus One) or have regular access to the Internet via personal computer.
- Current regular smoker, as defined by self-reported use of at least 1 year and a current average of at least 10 cigarettes smoked per day.
Who cannot join
- 1. Individuals with current suicidality (determined by a score of 2 or 3 on item 9 of the Beck Depression Inventory given following consent) will be excluded from further participation.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Boston University Charles River Campus
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
About this study
Several studies indicate that cigarette smokers show an attentional bias for cigarette-related cues, meaning that they more quickly detect and attend to and have more difficulty disengaging in cigarette-related information than neutral information. This bias is associated with craving and relapse following attempts to quit. This experiment will examine whether a computerized attentional training procedure will successfully reduce attentional bias towards smoking cues and reduce craving in regular cigarette smokers. The attentional training will be administered in a novel format in which participants complete 5-minute long training sessions 3 times per day and can complete the trainings via home computer or handheld device such as the iPhone, Android phone, or iPod touch. A baseline assessment in the laboratory will measure attentional bias to smoking cues and craving following smoking cue exposure. Participants will then be randomly assigned to either the active training condition or a control condition. In both conditions, participants will be asked to complete brief training sessions 3 times daily for one week using their personal computer or handheld device. Following one week of training, participants will return to the lab for endpoint assessment of attentional bias and craving. The investigators hypothesize that compared to the control condition, the active training condition will significantly reduce attentional bias toward smoking related cues and cue-induced cigarette craving.
- Conditions
- Smoking
- Being tested
- Attention bias modification task, Control Condition
- Keywords
- Smoking, Attentional bias, Craving
- Medical subject headings
- Smoking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Attention bias modification taskBehavioural
Participants will complete a computerized probe-discrimination task from their home computer or handheld electronic device 3 times per day for one week. Each training session will consist of 160 trials. In each trial, two pictures (smoking-related or neutral) will appear on the screen simultaneously and then disappear. An arrow will appear in the location of one of the pictures (< or >). Participants are asked to quickly identify the direction of the arrow by pressing a button. In the active training task, the arrow will replace the neutral pictures 80% of the time.
Control ConditionBehavioural
Participants will complete a computerized probe-discrimination task from their home computer or handheld electronic device 3 times per day for one week. Each training session will consist of 160 trials. In each trial, two pictures (smoking-related or neutral) will appear on the screen simultaneously and then disappear. An arrow will appear in the location of one of the pictures (< or >). Participants are asked to quickly identify the direction of the arrow by pressing a button. In the control training task, the arrow will replace the neutral and smoking-related pictures with equal frequency.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Active attention training condition | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Attention bias modification task |
| Control condition | Placebo comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Control Condition |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Brief Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU-Brief)
Measured: Assessed at baseline and endpoint visits (one week apart)
Attentional Bias Scores
Measured: Assessed at baseline and endpoint visits (one week apart)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Oct 2011 (estimated)
- Study startSep 2011
- Primary completionDec 2012
- Study completionDec 2012
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for SmokingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University Charles River Campus
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Harvard University
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Samantha Moshier, MA, Principal investigator, Boston University Charles River Campus
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01458834
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- BU-2453
- Status last verified
- Oct 2011
- First submitted
- 22 Oct 2011
- Last updated
- 29 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Attentional Training for Smoking Cessation Via Handheld Device or Personal Computer
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01458834
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- BU-2453
- Conditions
- Smoking
- Keywords
- Smoking, Attentional bias, Craving
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University Charles River CampusUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Harvard University
- Study start
- Sep 2011
- Primary completion
- Dec 2012 (actual)
- Study completion
- Dec 2012 (actual)
- First posted
- 25 Oct 2011 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Several studies indicate that cigarette smokers show an attentional bias for cigarette-related cues, meaning that they more quickly detect and attend to and have more difficulty disengaging in cigarette-related information than neutral information. This bias is associated with craving and relapse following attempts to quit. This experiment will examine whether a computerized attentional training procedure will successfully reduce attentional bias towards smoking cues and reduce craving in regular cigarette smokers. The attentional training will be administered in a novel format in which participants complete 5-minute long training sessions 3 times per day and can complete the trainings via home computer or handheld device such as the iPhone, Android phone, or iPod touch. A baseline assessment in the laboratory will measure attentional bias to smoking cues and craving following smoking cue exposure. Participants will then be randomly assigned to either the active training condition or a control condition. In both conditions, participants will be asked to complete brief training sessions 3 times daily for one week using their personal computer or handheld device. Following one week of training, participants will return to the lab for endpoint assessment of attentional bias and craving. The investigators hypothesize that compared to the control condition, the active training condition will significantly reduce attentional bias toward smoking related cues and cue-induced cigarette craving.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Active attention training condition | Experimental | Behavioral: Attention bias modification task |
| Control condition | Placebo comparator | Behavioral: Control Condition |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Age 18-65.
- Familiarity with a computer keyboard and mouse.
- Must own a iPhone, iPod Touch, or Google Android-based phone (such as the Droid or Nexus One) or have regular access to the Internet via personal computer.
- Current regular smoker, as defined by self-reported use of at least 1 year and a current average of at least 10 cigarettes smoked per day.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- 1. Individuals with current suicidality (determined by a score of 2 or 3 on item 9 of the Beck Depression Inventory given following consent) will be excluded from further participation.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Attention bias modification taskParticipants will complete a computerized probe-discrimination task from their home computer or handheld electronic device 3 times per day for one week. Each training session will consist of 160 trials. In each trial, two pictures (smoking-related or neutral) will appear on the screen simultaneously and then disappear. An arrow will appear in the location of one of the pictures (< or >). Participants are asked to quickly identify the direction of the arrow by pressing a button. In the active training task, the arrow will replace the neutral pictures 80% of the time. | Behavioural | Active attention training condition |
| Control ConditionParticipants will complete a computerized probe-discrimination task from their home computer or handheld electronic device 3 times per day for one week. Each training session will consist of 160 trials. In each trial, two pictures (smoking-related or neutral) will appear on the screen simultaneously and then disappear. An arrow will appear in the location of one of the pictures (< or >). Participants are asked to quickly identify the direction of the arrow by pressing a button. In the control training task, the arrow will replace the neutral and smoking-related pictures with equal frequency. | Behavioural | Control condition |
Primary outcome
Brief Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU-Brief)
Time frame: Assessed at baseline and endpoint visits (one week apart)
Attentional Bias Scores
Time frame: Assessed at baseline and endpoint visits (one week apart)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Samantha Moshier, MA principal investigator
Boston University Charles River Campus
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Attention bias modification task in people with Smoking, run by Boston University Charles River Campus at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Brief Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU-Brief) (time frame: Assessed at baseline and endpoint visits (one week apart)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Jul 2026.