Performance vs. Effort RewardsRoSE2025NCT07557732
Engaging Mental Effort: Process- and Person-Based Reward Experiences, Effort Reinforcement Intervention, and Cascading Effects on Challenging Tasks
A study testing Performance Rewards and Effort Rewards in people with Performance vs. Effort Rewards, run by University of California, Davis at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Brief Summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the influences of children's prior experiences with rewards following successes at school and interventions aimed at influencing children's preferences for challenging cognitive tasks. The main questions this study aims to answer are as follows: 1. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 9 to 13 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Performance vs. Effort Rewards
- What is being tested?
- Performance Rewards and Effort Rewards
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 180 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 8 Apr 2026to 1 Sep 2028
- 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 9 to 13 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Children aged 9.00-13.00 years
Who cannot join
- Known or diagnosed developmental disorder (autism, ADHD, other learning disorders or developmental delays)
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, 95616
Laura Birch, 530-752-1011, cmbadmin@ucdavis.edu
jniebaum@gmail.com
About this study
Brief Summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the influences of children's prior experiences with rewards following successes at school and interventions aimed at influencing children's preferences for challenging cognitive tasks.
The main questions this study aims to answer are as follows:
Read more
- Does the frequency of process-based rewards (e.g., rewards for working hard) vs. outcomes-based rewards (i.e., rewards for a good grade) predict children's preferences for challenging cognitive tasks?
- Does providing rewards for taking on effortful cognitive tasks increase children's preferences for challenging cognitive tasks more than providing rewards for performing well on cognitive tasks?
- Does receiving rewards for taking on effortful cognitive tasks increase children's challenge-seeking in novel tasks and questionnaires relevant for academic achievement that have not been previously linked with rewards?
Participants will complete the following tasks:
- A matrix completion problem solving task, with options to seek tips for solving problems and options to quit early.
- A response inhibition task, with options to complete a harder or easier version of the task.
- A cognitive flexibility task, with options to complete a harder or easier version of the task.
- A puzzle completion task, with an option to quit early.
- Answer a set of questions about academic effort
- Parents will complete a set of questions about how they responded to children's recent successes and failures at school.
Read the detailed description
In Session 1, 9.00 - 13.00-year-olds will complete the Persistence, Effort, Resilience, and Challenge-seeking task with matrix completion problems. Then, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: A group rewarded for selecting a more challenging cognitive task over an easier cognitive task or a group rewarded for performing well regardless of which cognitive task they select to play. Participants will then complete the response inhibition task, with easier or harder options, and the task switching task, with easier or harder options, prior to receiving rewards, while receiving rewards (response inhibition only), and after receiving rewards. Then, participants will answer questions about their task preferences and questions about their academic effort. Parents will complete questionnaires about how they responded to children's recent successes and failures at school and about their efforts in helping children succeed in school.
In Session 2, approximately one week later, participants will complete the response inhibition tasks while receiving rewards according to their respective group assignments. Then, participants will complete the response inhibition task and task-switching task without rewards, an impossible puzzle task, and the Persistence, Effort, Resilience, and Challenge-seeking task. Lastly, participants will answer questions about their academic effort and general preferences for engaging in mental effort. Parents will complete questionnaires about how they responded to children's recent successes and failures at school.
- Conditions
- Performance vs. Effort Rewards
- Being tested
- Performance Rewards, Effort Rewards
- Keywords
- Mental Effort, Executive Function, Process-based praise
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Performance RewardsBehavioural
Participants receive more rewards for fast and accurate task performance and fewer rewards for slow and accurate task performance.
Effort RewardsBehavioural
Participants receive more rewards for choosing to complete the more difficult task and responding accurately and fewer rewards for choosing to complete the less difficult task and responding accurately.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Effort-based Reward Contingency | Experimental | Great rewards are offered for children who repeatedly decide to complete a more difficult response inhibition task. Receives: Behavioral: Effort Rewards |
| Performance-based Reward Contingency | Experimental | Rewards are provided for children who perform quickly and accurately, regardless of which response inhibition task option they select to play. Receives: Behavioral: Performance Rewards |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Cognitive Effort Avoidance - Reinforced Task
Relative proportion of Less-Demanding Task Selections after reinforcement (Test - Baseline)
Measured: Immediately after the intervention
Cognitive Effort Avoidance - Novel Task
Relative proportion of less-demanding task selections from the novel task after reinforcement (Test - Baseline)
Measured: Immediately after the intervention and primary outcome 1
Secondary outcomes (2)
Challenge-Seeking
Relative change from Session 1 Baseline to Session 2 test (1-week later) in overall challenge-seeking composite metric from the Performance, Effort, Resilience, and Challenge-seeking task
Measured: Immediately after the follow-up intervention dose
Persistence on Impossible Puzzles
Time spent persisting on impossible puzzles prior to response deadline or skipping the puzzle problem.
Measured: Immediately after the follow-up intervention dose and secondary outcome measure 1.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Apr 2026
- Study start8 Apr 2026
- Primary completion1 Sep 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Sep 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Performance vs. Effort RewardsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, DavisThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- 180 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
- Jesse Niebaum, PhD, Study director, University of California, Davis
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07557732
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1518244-A
- Other IDs
- R01HD086184
- Acronym
- RoSE2025
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 17 Mar 2026
- Last updated
- 29 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 29 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Engaging Mental Effort: Process- and Person-Based Reward Experiences, Effort Reinforcement Intervention, and Cascading Effects on Challenging Tasks
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07557732
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- RoSE2025 / 1518244-A
- Conditions
- Performance vs. Effort Rewards
- Keywords
- Mental Effort, Executive Function, Process-based praise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 180 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
- 8 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Sep 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Sep 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Apr 2026 (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.
Brief Summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the influences of children's prior experiences with rewards following successes at school and interventions aimed at influencing children's preferences for challenging cognitive tasks.
The main questions this study aims to answer are as follows:
- Does the frequency of process-based rewards (e.g., rewards for working hard) vs. outcomes-based rewards (i.e., rewards for a good grade) predict children's preferences for challenging cognitive tasks?
- Does providing rewards for taking on effortful cognitive tasks increase children's preferences for challenging cognitive tasks more than providing rewards for performing well on cognitive tasks?
- Does receiving rewards for taking on effortful cognitive tasks increase children's challenge-seeking in novel tasks and questionnaires relevant for academic achievement that have not been previously linked with rewards?
Participants will complete the following tasks:
- A matrix completion problem solving task, with options to seek tips for solving problems and options to quit early.
- A response inhibition task, with options to complete a harder or easier version of the task.
- A cognitive flexibility task, with options to complete a harder or easier version of the task.
- A puzzle completion task, with an option to quit early.
- Answer a set of questions about academic effort
- Parents will complete a set of questions about how they responded to children's recent successes and failures at school.
Detailed description
In Session 1, 9.00 - 13.00-year-olds will complete the Persistence, Effort, Resilience, and Challenge-seeking task with matrix completion problems. Then, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: A group rewarded for selecting a more challenging cognitive task over an easier cognitive task or a group rewarded for performing well regardless of which cognitive task they select to play. Participants will then complete the response inhibition task, with easier or harder options, and the task switching task, with easier or harder options, prior to receiving rewards, while receiving rewards (response inhibition only), and after receiving rewards. Then, participants will answer questions about their task preferences and questions about their academic effort. Parents will complete questionnaires about how they responded to children's recent successes and failures at school and about their efforts in helping children succeed in school.
In Session 2, approximately one week later, participants will complete the response inhibition tasks while receiving rewards according to their respective group assignments. Then, participants will complete the response inhibition task and task-switching task without rewards, an impossible puzzle task, and the Persistence, Effort, Resilience, and Challenge-seeking task. Lastly, participants will answer questions about their academic effort and general preferences for engaging in mental effort. Parents will complete questionnaires about how they responded to children's recent successes and failures at school.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Effort-based Reward Contingency | Experimental | Behavioral: Effort RewardsGreat rewards are offered for children who repeatedly decide to complete a more difficult response inhibition task. |
| Performance-based Reward Contingency | Experimental | Behavioral: Performance RewardsRewards are provided for children who perform quickly and accurately, regardless of which response inhibition task option they select to play. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 9 to 13 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Children aged 9.00-13.00 years
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Known or diagnosed developmental disorder (autism, ADHD, other learning disorders or developmental delays)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Performance RewardsParticipants receive more rewards for fast and accurate task performance and fewer rewards for slow and accurate task performance. | Behavioural | Performance-based Reward Contingency |
| Effort RewardsParticipants receive more rewards for choosing to complete the more difficult task and responding accurately and fewer rewards for choosing to complete the less difficult task and responding accurately. | Behavioural | Effort-based Reward Contingency |
Primary outcome
Cognitive Effort Avoidance - Reinforced Task
Time frame: Immediately after the intervention
Relative proportion of Less-Demanding Task Selections after reinforcement (Test - Baseline)
Cognitive Effort Avoidance - Novel Task
Time frame: Immediately after the intervention and primary outcome 1
Relative proportion of less-demanding task selections from the novel task after reinforcement (Test - Baseline)
2 secondary outcomes
Challenge-Seeking
Time frame: Immediately after the follow-up intervention dose
Persistence on Impossible Puzzles
Time frame: Immediately after the follow-up intervention dose and secondary outcome measure 1.
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 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
Jesse Niebaum, PhD 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 Performance Rewards and Effort Rewards in people with Performance vs. Effort Rewards, 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?
The sponsor lists 1 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 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 Jesse C Niebaum, PhD (530-752-1011, jcniebaum@ucdavis.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Cognitive Effort Avoidance - Reinforced Task (time frame: Immediately after the intervention). 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 Apr 2026.