Proportional ReasoningNCT06762366
Substitution Heuristic on Proportional Tasks
A study testing Additional Incentive, Response Delay and Baseline Performance in people with Proportional Reasoning and Substitution Heuristic, run by Michelle Hurst, PhD at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether or not adults use a substitution heuristic when reasoning about proportions. The main question it aims to answer is: Do adults use a substitution heuristic when judging non-symbolic proportions, leading them to answer an easier, yet incorrect question? Researchers… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 64 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Proportional Reasoning, Substitution Heuristic
- What is being tested?
- Additional Incentive, Response Delay and Baseline Performance
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 442 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 13 Dec 2024to 15 Mar 2026
- 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 to 64 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Typically developing people within the target age range
Who cannot join
- Individuals with known developmental or cognitive disorders
- Participants must speak/read sufficient English to read and complete the informed consent document
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science
Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854
About this study
Official title: Substitution in Adult Proportional Reasoning
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether or not adults use a substitution heuristic when reasoning about proportions. The main question it aims to answer is:
Do adults use a substitution heuristic when judging non-symbolic proportions, leading them to answer an easier, yet incorrect question?
Read more
Researchers will compare performance at baseline with one of two conditions in order to see if forced behavioral changes can change performance on the task.
Participants will be asked to compare two images and judge which has the higher proportion of the target color. Each participant will also be assigned to one of two condition where they either receive a further incentive for correct selections or are required to use more time when making their calculations.
- Conditions
- Proportional Reasoning, Substitution Heuristic
- Being tested
- Additional Incentive, Response Delay, Baseline Performance
- Keywords
- proportion, hueristic
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Additional IncentiveBehavioural
During this behavioral intervention, participants will be given additional compensation for correct answers.
Response DelayBehavioural
During this behavioral intervention, participants will not be allowed to respond with their judgements until after a certain amount of time has passed.
Baseline PerformanceBehavioural
In this intervention, the participant completes the task as it is typically administer for a baseline performance measure. The participant can respond at will and does not receive incentive for correct responses.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Incentive | Active comparator | In this arm of the experiment, participants will receive the additional incentive intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Additional Incentive |
| Response Delay | Active comparator | In this arm of the experiment, participants will receive the response delay intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Response Delay |
| Baseline Performance | Sham comparator | In this arm of the study, participants will complete the task as it is typically administed. Receives: Behavioral: Baseline Performance |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Proportion Correct
Accuracy will be measured for each trial and combined into an overall score (i.e., proportion of trials correct).
Measured: up to 20 minutes
Reaction Time
Reaction time will also be tracked (i.e., time it takes to respond), with a faster reaction time indicating ease and/or efficiency with the task.
Measured: up to 20 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 Jan 2025
- Study start13 Dec 2024
- Primary completion15 Mar 2026
- Study completion15 Mar 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- 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
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 442 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Michelle Hurst, PhD
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Michelle Hurst, PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06762366
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro2024002168
- Other IDs
- R00HD104990
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 23 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 5 Jun 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.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Substitution in Adult Proportional Reasoning
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06762366
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Pro2024002168
- Conditions
- Proportional Reasoning, Substitution Heuristic
- Keywords
- proportion, hueristic
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 442 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Michelle Hurst, PhDUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Study start
- 13 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 Mar 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 7 Jan 2025 (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 whether or not adults use a substitution heuristic when reasoning about proportions. The main question it aims to answer is:
Do adults use a substitution heuristic when judging non-symbolic proportions, leading them to answer an easier, yet incorrect question?
Researchers will compare performance at baseline with one of two conditions in order to see if forced behavioral changes can change performance on the task.
Participants will be asked to compare two images and judge which has the higher proportion of the target color. Each participant will also be assigned to one of two condition where they either receive a further incentive for correct selections or are required to use more time when making their calculations.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Incentive | Active comparator | Behavioral: Additional IncentiveIn this arm of the experiment, participants will receive the additional incentive intervention. |
| Response Delay | Active comparator | Behavioral: Response DelayIn this arm of the experiment, participants will receive the response delay intervention. |
| Baseline Performance | Sham comparator | Behavioral: Baseline PerformanceIn this arm of the study, participants will complete the task as it is typically administed. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 64 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Typically developing people within the target age range
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Individuals with known developmental or cognitive disorders
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Additional IncentiveDuring this behavioral intervention, participants will be given additional compensation for correct answers. | Behavioural | Additional Incentive |
| Response DelayDuring this behavioral intervention, participants will not be allowed to respond with their judgements until after a certain amount of time has passed. | Behavioural | Response Delay |
| Baseline PerformanceIn this intervention, the participant completes the task as it is typically administer for a baseline performance measure. The participant can respond at will and does not receive incentive for correct responses. | Behavioural | Baseline Performance |
Primary outcome
Proportion Correct
Time frame: up to 20 minutes
Accuracy will be measured for each trial and combined into an overall score (i.e., proportion of trials correct).
Reaction Time
Time frame: up to 20 minutes
Reaction time will also be tracked (i.e., time it takes to respond), with a faster reaction time indicating ease and/or efficiency with the task.
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 5 Jun 2026.
- 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.
Related trials for Proportional Reasoning
Enrolling by invitation
Modifying Cognitive Strategies for Comparing Proportions
Proportional Reasoning
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.
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 Additional Incentive, Response Delay and Baseline Performance in people with Proportional Reasoning and Substitution Heuristic, 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Jun 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?
Proportion Correct (time frame: up to 20 minutes). 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 5 Jun 2026.