The Ability to Delay GratificationDAISYNCT06605001
Development, Attention, and Inhibition Study
A study testing Delay of Gratification in people with The Ability to Delay Gratification, run by University of California, Davis at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the associations of young children's early life experiences with delaying behaviors and links with later life outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do experiences with waiting in early childhood predict delaying behavior in context-specific ways? Are links… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 4 to 7 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- The Ability to Delay Gratification
- What is being tested?
- Delay of Gratification
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 21 Aug 2024to 31 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 4 to 7 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Typically developing children will be recruited. Participants will be pre-screened for developmental disorders.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Yuko Munakata, PhD contact
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Center for Mind and Brain
Davis, California, 95618
Lab Manager, 530-754-4562, ciclm@ucdavis.edu
Yuko Munakata, Ph.D.
About this study
Official title: Delay of Gratification: Life Habits of Delaying and Cascading Effects on Life Outcomes
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the associations of young children's early life experiences with delaying behaviors and links with later life outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Do experiences with waiting in early childhood predict delaying behavior in context-specific ways?
- Are links between delaying behavior and life outcomes impacted by social conventions, effort and choices around delaying, or other behaviors?
Read more
Participants will:
- Complete two delaying tasks with either a sweet or wrapped gift
- Complete three "Simon says"-like games that measure inhibition, cognitive flexibility and proactive control
- Answer a set of questions about academic readiness
- Answer a set of questions about social conventions
- Complete a waiting game on the computer while a camera records eye movements
- Parents will answer questions about their child's behaviors and experiences at home
- Participants will return after 1 year to repeat a subset of these measures
Read the detailed description
In sessions 1 and 2, 4-6-year-olds will complete a delay of gratification task (randomly assigned to one of two groups, to delay with either a sweet or a wrapped gift), the NASA Load Index to report perceived demand and effort for the delay of gratification task, a computerized delay choice measure (while pupillometric data is collected), a Go/No-Go task, the NIH Toolbox Dimensional Change Card Sort, a Track-It task, a task measuring sensitivity to social conventions, and Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement. Parents will complete the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), the REEF executive function questionnaire, and questionnaires about demographics and children's experiences waiting at mealtimes, when opening gifts, and in other contexts.
In session 3 (1 year after sessions 1 and 2), participants and parents will repeat the measures from sessions 1 and 2.
- Conditions
- The Ability to Delay Gratification
- Being tested
- Delay of Gratification
- Keywords
- Delay of Gratification, Waiting, Habits, Academic Outcomes
- Medical subject headings
- Habits
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Delay of GratificationOther
Children will complete a delay of gratification task with 1 of 2 rewards
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Delay of Gratification - Treat | Experimental | Reward presented is a sweet treat. Receives: Other: Delay of Gratification |
| Delay of Gratification - Gift | Experimental | Reward presented is a wrapped gift. Receives: Other: Delay of Gratification |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Choice Delay
Pattern of waiting behavior represented by area under the curve (AUC) for wait times.
Measured: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Executive Functions
Composite scores from the REEF, a questionnaire measuring executive functioning.
Measured: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Social Conventions
Social task measuring adherence to social conventions.
Measured: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Academic Readiness
Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement: Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems standardized scores.
Measured: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Inhibitory Control (Go/No-Go)
Accuracy (No-Go trials) during the Go/No-Go inhibitory control task.
Measured: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Experiences Waiting at Home
Composite score from a questionnaire developed for this study, measuring experiences with waiting.
Measured: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Cognitive Flexibility (DCCS)
Accuracy (perseveration errors) during the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task.
Measured: Immediately after intervention and 1 year after intervention
Problem Behaviors
Composite and sub-scale scores from CBCL, a questionnaire measuring children\'s problem behaviors.
Measured: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Secondary outcomes (5)
Pupil dilation during delayed choice
Pupil dilation while waiting for expected reward, or skipping for a new trial.
Measured: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Behavior while delaying
Video coding of targeted behaviors (i.e., anticipatory behavior) during delay of gratification.
Measured: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Subjective Effort
Self-reported demand and effort during the delay of gratification task on the NASA Task Load index.
Measured: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Proactive Control
Accuracy during the Track-It proactive control task.
Measured: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Child Temperment
Composite score from the CBQ, a questionnaire measuring child temperament.
Measured: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Sep 2024
- Study start21 Aug 2024
- Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for The Ability to Delay GratificationStudies 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
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Davis
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Rachel Foster, B.S., Study director, University of California, Davis
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06605001
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1518244
- Other IDs
- R01HD086184
- Acronym
- DAISY
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 10 Sep 2024
- Last updated
- 15 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Delay of Gratification: Life Habits of Delaying and Cascading Effects on Life Outcomes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06605001
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- DAISY / 1518244
- Conditions
- The Ability to Delay Gratification
- Keywords
- Delay of Gratification, Waiting, Habits, Academic Outcomes
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, DavisUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Study start
- 21 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 20 Sep 2024 (actual)
- 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.
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the associations of young children's early life experiences with delaying behaviors and links with later life outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Do experiences with waiting in early childhood predict delaying behavior in context-specific ways?
- Are links between delaying behavior and life outcomes impacted by social conventions, effort and choices around delaying, or other behaviors?
Participants will:
- Complete two delaying tasks with either a sweet or wrapped gift
- Complete three "Simon says"-like games that measure inhibition, cognitive flexibility and proactive control
- Answer a set of questions about academic readiness
- Answer a set of questions about social conventions
- Complete a waiting game on the computer while a camera records eye movements
- Parents will answer questions about their child's behaviors and experiences at home
- Participants will return after 1 year to repeat a subset of these measures
Detailed description
In sessions 1 and 2, 4-6-year-olds will complete a delay of gratification task (randomly assigned to one of two groups, to delay with either a sweet or a wrapped gift), the NASA Load Index to report perceived demand and effort for the delay of gratification task, a computerized delay choice measure (while pupillometric data is collected), a Go/No-Go task, the NIH Toolbox Dimensional Change Card Sort, a Track-It task, a task measuring sensitivity to social conventions, and Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement. Parents will complete the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), the REEF executive function questionnaire, and questionnaires about demographics and children's experiences waiting at mealtimes, when opening gifts, and in other contexts.
In session 3 (1 year after sessions 1 and 2), participants and parents will repeat the measures from sessions 1 and 2.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Delay of Gratification - Treat | Experimental | Other: Delay of GratificationReward presented is a sweet treat. |
| Delay of Gratification - Gift | Experimental | Other: Delay of GratificationReward presented is a wrapped gift. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 4 to 7 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Delay of GratificationChildren will complete a delay of gratification task with 1 of 2 rewards | Other | Delay of Gratification - Gift, Delay of Gratification - Treat |
Primary outcome
Choice Delay
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Pattern of waiting behavior represented by area under the curve (AUC) for wait times.
Executive Functions
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Composite scores from the REEF, a questionnaire measuring executive functioning.
Social Conventions
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Social task measuring adherence to social conventions.
Academic Readiness
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement: Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems standardized scores.
Inhibitory Control (Go/No-Go)
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Accuracy (No-Go trials) during the Go/No-Go inhibitory control task.
Experiences Waiting at Home
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Composite score from a questionnaire developed for this study, measuring experiences with waiting.
Cognitive Flexibility (DCCS)
Time frame: Immediately after intervention and 1 year after intervention
Accuracy (perseveration errors) during the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task.
Problem Behaviors
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Composite and sub-scale scores from CBCL, a questionnaire measuring children\'s problem behaviors.
5 secondary outcomes
Pupil dilation during delayed choice
Time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention
Behavior while delaying
Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Subjective Effort
Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Proactive Control
Time frame: During initial and 1 year follow-up intervention
Child Temperment
Time frame: Pre-intervention and 1 year after intervention
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Apr 2026.
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.
Yuko Munakata, PhD contact
Rachel Foster, B.S. study director
University of California, Davis
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Delay of Gratification in people with The Ability to Delay Gratification, run by University of California, Davis 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?
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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Apr 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. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Rachel Foster, B.S. (+1 530 754 4551, refoster@ucdavis.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Choice Delay (time frame: Immediately after and 1 year after intervention). The study lists 8 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 15 Apr 2026.