Executive Function (Cognition)NCT06710678
Examining Executive Functions in Medical Students Across Different Types of Study Breaks
A study testing Physical Activity Study Break and Social Media Study Break in people with Executive Function (Cognition), run by New York Institute of Technology at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study aims to expand on previous findings and compare the effects of an active break (ten minutes of walking or upper body movement), a digital break (ten minutes of phone use), and no break on memory and attention in medical students after a prolonged period of studying. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Executive Function (Cognition)
- What is being tested?
- Physical Activity Study Break and Social Media Study Break
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 19 Nov 2024to 1 Aug 2025
- 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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- have and regularly use some form of social media
- able to perform light physical activity such as walking or upper body movement
Who cannot join
- no social media usage
- color blindness (cognitive tests require color perception)
- ADHD or other known conditions that affect attention and/or concentration,
- current concussion
- any condition that prevents upper or lower body physical activity.
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, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
NYIT
Old Westbury, New York, 11568
About this study
This study aims to expand on previous findings and compare the effects of an active break (ten minutes of walking or upper body movement), a digital break (ten minutes of phone use), and no break on memory and attention in medical students after a prolonged period of studying. The List Learning Task, Stroop Test, and Sustained Attention to Response Task will be administered to measure memory, executive function, and attention, respectively. Information on how different types of breaks affect memory and attention may prompt medical students to be more mindful and intentional of the way they spend their time in between studying.
Read the detailed description
120 people will be recruited. Following consent procedures, those who choose to participate will be randomized to physical intervention, digital intervention or control. 40 will be randomly selected to be in the active physical break group, another 40 participants will selected to be in the passive digital break group, and another 40 will be selected to be in the group without any break.
All participants will complete a demographic form and a baseline Stroop and Sustained Attention to Response Task tests prior to starting the experiment. Next, participants in all three groups will self-study any form of class material for 45 minutes without any breaks or phone usage. At the 45 min mark, the first part of the List Learning Task will be administered to all participants. Following completion, participants in the active physical break and passive digital break groups will begin their 15 min breaks. Those in the former group will engage in 10 min of walking or upper body movement. Those in the latter group will engage in 10 min of social media usage. An additional 5 min will be allotted to allow participants to get settled after their break and use the bathroom if needed before continuing with the study. Participants in the control group will continue studying for 15 min. All participants will not be permitted to converse or interact with each other throughout the break. Once the 15 min break has concluded, all participants will be administered the second part of the List Learning Task. When that is completed, participants will be given the Stroop Test and Sustained Attention to Response Task. A survey will be given to the passive digital break group to determine which social media app(s) were used. All groups will be surveyed about their thoughts regarding their respective type of break or lack thereof and its effect on their studying.
- Conditions
- Executive Function (Cognition)
- Being tested
- Physical Activity Study Break, Social Media Study Break
- Keywords
- study breaks, social media, executive function, memory, medical students
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Physical Activity Study BreakBehavioural
A 10-minute walking/upper extremity light movement indoor break from study session
Social Media Study BreakBehavioural
Participants will engage in social media use/engagement during a 10-minute study session break
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media Study Break | Experimental | Medical students will engage in a 10 minute social media study break Receives: Behavioral: Social Media Study Break |
| Physical Activity Study Break | Active comparator | Medical student will engage in a 10 minute light physical activity study break Receives: Behavioral: Physical Activity Study Break |
| No study break | No intervention | Medical students will continue to study instead of a break |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Sustained Attention to Response Task
Sustained Attention to Response Task is a go/nogo task with infrequent nogo signals to measure attention. Participants are presented with a single digit 1-9 in the middle of the screen in varying font sizes. The digit disappears after a short while and is replaced with a mask (circle with an X). Participants are asked to press the SPACEBAR if any digit other than 3 is presented and to withhold the response if digit 3 is presented.
Measured: from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day
Secondary outcomes (2)
Stroop Task
The classic Stroop paradigm demonstrates the interference of word meaning on the naming of the color in which the words are written as measured by reaction time/accuracy differences to color-meaning congruent and color-meaning incongruent combinations. Participants are given color words written in color and are asked to indicate the color of the word (not its meaning) by key press as fast as they can without making too many errors. Congruent trials: color word and the color it is presented in are the same Incongruent trials: color word and the color it is presented in are not the same Control trials: colored rectangles.
Measured: from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day
List Learning Task
The List Learning Task is a basic computer-adapted List Learning Task inspired by the one used by The Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). The script presents the list visually and accepts written input.
Participants are presented a list of words (fixed sequence), one at a time, on the computer screen. Once the list has finished, a textbox appears and participants are asked to enter as many of the list words as they remember, in any order. The list learning/recall task is repeated 3 more times before a break (default: 15min). After the break, participants work through an optional delayed recall test and a recognition task: 20 words are presented to them, one by one, and participants have to decide whether the word was part of the orinal list.
Measured: from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Nov 2024
- Study start19 Nov 2024
- Primary completion1 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Aug 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Executive Function (Cognition)Studies 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
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- New York Institute of Technology
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Amber Sousa, New York Institute of Technology
- Investigators
- Amber Sousa, PhD, Principal investigator, NYIT COM
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06710678
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NYIT IRB-2025-152
- Status last verified
- Nov 2024
- First submitted
- 21 Nov 2024
- Last updated
- 29 Nov 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Nov 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Examining Executive Functions in Medical Students Across Different Types of Study Breaks
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06710678
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NYIT IRB-2025-152
- Conditions
- Executive Function (Cognition)
- Keywords
- study breaks, social media, executive function, memory, medical students
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- New York Institute of TechnologyUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 19 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Nov 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.
This study aims to expand on previous findings and compare the effects of an active break (ten minutes of walking or upper body movement), a digital break (ten minutes of phone use), and no break on memory and attention in medical students after a prolonged period of studying. The List Learning Task, Stroop Test, and Sustained Attention to Response Task will be administered to measure memory, executive function, and attention, respectively. Information on how different types of breaks affect memory and attention may prompt medical students to be more mindful and intentional of the way they spend their time in between studying.
Detailed description
120 people will be recruited. Following consent procedures, those who choose to participate will be randomized to physical intervention, digital intervention or control. 40 will be randomly selected to be in the active physical break group, another 40 participants will selected to be in the passive digital break group, and another 40 will be selected to be in the group without any break.
All participants will complete a demographic form and a baseline Stroop and Sustained Attention to Response Task tests prior to starting the experiment. Next, participants in all three groups will self-study any form of class material for 45 minutes without any breaks or phone usage. At the 45 min mark, the first part of the List Learning Task will be administered to all participants. Following completion, participants in the active physical break and passive digital break groups will begin their 15 min breaks. Those in the former group will engage in 10 min of walking or upper body movement. Those in the latter group will engage in 10 min of social media usage. An additional 5 min will be allotted to allow participants to get settled after their break and use the bathroom if needed before continuing with the study. Participants in the control group will continue studying for 15 min. All participants will not be permitted to converse or interact with each other throughout the break. Once the 15 min break has concluded, all participants will be administered the second part of the List Learning Task. When that is completed, participants will be given the Stroop Test and Sustained Attention to Response Task. A survey will be given to the passive digital break group to determine which social media app(s) were used. All groups will be surveyed about their thoughts regarding their respective type of break or lack thereof and its effect on their studying.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media Study Break | Experimental | Behavioral: Social Media Study BreakMedical students will engage in a 10 minute social media study break |
| Physical Activity Study Break | Active comparator | Behavioral: Physical Activity Study BreakMedical student will engage in a 10 minute light physical activity study break |
| No study break | No intervention | –Medical students will continue to study instead of a break |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- have and regularly use some form of social media
- able to perform light physical activity such as walking or upper body movement
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- no social media usage
- color blindness (cognitive tests require color perception)
- ADHD or other known conditions that affect attention and/or concentration,
- current concussion
- any condition that prevents upper or lower body physical activity.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Activity Study BreakA 10-minute walking/upper extremity light movement indoor break from study session | Behavioural | Physical Activity Study Break |
| Social Media Study BreakParticipants will engage in social media use/engagement during a 10-minute study session break | Behavioural | Social Media Study Break |
Primary outcome
Sustained Attention to Response Task
Time frame: from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day
Sustained Attention to Response Task is a go/nogo task with infrequent nogo signals to measure attention. Participants are presented with a single digit 1-9 in the middle of the screen in varying font sizes. The digit disappears after a short while and is replaced with a mask (circle with an X). Participants are asked to press the SPACEBAR if any digit other than 3 is presented and to withhold the response if digit 3 is presented.
2 secondary outcomes
Stroop Task
Time frame: from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day
List Learning Task
Time frame: from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day
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 29 Nov 2024.
- 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.
Amber Sousa, PhD principal investigator
NYIT COM
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Physical Activity Study Break and Social Media Study Break in people with Executive Function (Cognition), run by New York Institute of Technology 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 2 inclusion and 5 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Nov 2024. 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 Amber Sousa, PhD (516-686-7698, asousa@nyit.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Sustained Attention to Response Task (time frame: from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day). 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 Nov 2024.