Proportional ReasoningNCT06635577
Modifying Cognitive Strategies for Comparing Proportions
A study testing Verbal Interference Task in people with Proportional Reasoning, run by Michelle Hurst, PhD at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to understand the cognitive processes underlying quantitative and relational reasoning, including the understanding of mathematical information (e.g., numbers, proportions, percentages, geometry) and related relational concepts (e.g., analogies, the concepts same/different), as well as how… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 7 to 64 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Proportional Reasoning
- What is being tested?
- Verbal Interference Task
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 21 Oct 2024to Oct 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 7 to 64 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- Typically developing people within the target age range (either 8-years-old OR 18- to 64-years-old) for the study version
Who cannot join
- Individuals with known developmental or cognitive disorders
- Participants or parents of participants must speak/read sufficient English to read and complete the informed consent document
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site
Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science
Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854
About this study
Official title: Changing Quantitative Reasoning Across Development
The goal of this study is to understand the cognitive processes underlying quantitative and relational reasoning, including the understanding of mathematical information (e.g., numbers, proportions, percentages, geometry) and related relational concepts (e.g., analogies, the concepts same/different), as well as how people's reasoning can be changed by external factors. The main question it aims to answer is:
How does the introduction of a secondary task affect the behavior of children and adults when reasoning about proportions in different formats? Participants will be asked to make judgements about images with and without the presence of a distractor task.
- Conditions
- Proportional Reasoning
- Being tested
- Verbal Interference Task
- Keywords
- proportions, mathematical concepts, strategy use
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Verbal Interference TaskBehavioural
During the second half of the study, participants will undergo an interference task such as repetition of the word "the"; or shadowing a radio broadcast in order to increase cognitive load and disrupt the use of a mental workspace.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion Judgements | Experimental | This is the sole arm of the study. All participants will be observed under normal conditions and then those same participants will undergo a behavioral intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Verbal Interference Task |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Overall Performance
A proportion correct will be calculated, with a score closer to 1 indicating more questions answered correctly. Reaction time will also be tracked, with a faster reaction time indicating ease and/or efficiency with the task.
Measured: After enrollment in a single study session
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Oct 2024
- Study start21 Oct 2024
- Primary completionOct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionOct 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Proportional ReasoningStudies 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
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Michelle Hurst, PhD
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Michelle Hurst, PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06635577
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro2023001794
- Other IDs
- R00HD104990
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Oct 2024
- Last updated
- 20 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: All de-identified participant responses to all measures, as well as de-identified demographics (e.g., age, gender) will be made publicly available on a data repository.
Publications
Boyer TW, Levine SC, Huttenlocher J. Development of proportional reasoning: where young children go wrong. Dev Psychol. 2008 Sep;44(5):1478-90. doi: 10.1037/a0013110.
PubMed 18793078Hurst MA, Piantadosi ST. Continuous and discrete proportion elicit different cognitive strategies. Cognition. 2024 Nov;252:105918. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105918. Epub 2024 Aug 16.
PubMed 39153444
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Changing Quantitative Reasoning Across Development
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06635577
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Pro2023001794
- Conditions
- Proportional Reasoning
- Keywords
- proportions, mathematical concepts, strategy use
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Michelle Hurst, PhDUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Study start
- 21 Oct 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Oct 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Oct 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 study is to understand the cognitive processes underlying quantitative and relational reasoning, including the understanding of mathematical information (e.g., numbers, proportions, percentages, geometry) and related relational concepts (e.g., analogies, the concepts same/different), as well as how people's reasoning can be changed by external factors. The main question it aims to answer is:
How does the introduction of a secondary task affect the behavior of children and adults when reasoning about proportions in different formats? Participants will be asked to make judgements about images with and without the presence of a distractor task.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion Judgements | Experimental | Behavioral: Verbal Interference TaskThis is the sole arm of the study. All participants will be observed under normal conditions and then those same participants will undergo a behavioral intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 7 to 64 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Typically developing people within the target age range (either 8-years-old OR 18- to 64-years-old) for the study version
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Individuals with known developmental or cognitive disorders
- Participants or parents of participants must speak/read sufficient English to read and complete the informed consent document
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Interference TaskDuring the second half of the study, participants will undergo an interference task such as repetition of the word "the"; or shadowing a radio broadcast in order to increase cognitive load and disrupt the use of a mental workspace. | Behavioural | Proportion Judgements |
Primary outcome
Overall Performance
Time frame: After enrollment in a single study session
A proportion correct will be calculated, with a score closer to 1 indicating more questions answered correctly. Reaction time will also be tracked, with a faster reaction time indicating ease and/or efficiency with the task.
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 20 Feb 2026.
- Background: PubMed 18793078Boyer TW, Levine SC, Huttenlocher J. Development of proportional reasoning: where young children go wrong. Dev Psychol. 2008 Sep;44(5):1478-90. doi: 10.1037/a0013110.
- Background: PubMed 39153444Hurst MA, Piantadosi ST. Continuous and discrete proportion elicit different cognitive strategies. Cognition. 2024 Nov;252:105918. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105918. Epub 2024 Aug 16.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. All de-identified participant responses to all measures, as well as de-identified demographics (e.g., age, gender) will be made publicly available on a data repository.
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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Verbal Interference Task in people with Proportional Reasoning, run by Michelle Hurst, PhD 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 1 inclusion and 2 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: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Feb 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?
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?
Overall Performance (time frame: After enrollment in a single study session). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06635577, which also lists 2 linked publications.
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 20 Feb 2026.