Flexible Attention to Magnitudes and Early Math

NCT05682729 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: R15HD100936
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 116
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the malleability of preschool-aged children's flexible attention to numerical and spatial magnitudes. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does a flexible attention to magnitudes intervention improve young children's math abilities in the area of flexible attention to magnitudes as well as executive functioning and number line estimation skills? Does this intervention improve young children's math abilities more than a traditional counting intervention? "Does the method of flexible attention to magnitudes intervention affect how much children improve in their math abilities? Participants will complete a pre-test and post-test in their math abilities and three intervention sessions with a trained experimenter. Each intervention session will involve reading researcher-created books with one-on-one with children for about 20 minutes. Children will be assigned to one of four intervention conditions:

• Size to Number Intervention Condition
• Size and Number Mixed Intervention Condition
• Traditional Counting Intervention
• Non-Numerical Control Intervention

Conditions

Mathematics Abilities

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Flexible Attention to Magnitudes Task

  Assesses preschool-aged children's ability to flexibly shift between attending to numerical and spatial magnitudes. The task is scored for accuracy (0 - 1), and higher scores indicate better outcomes. The outcome measure was change in accuracy from baseline to immediately after intervention, or 4 days.

  Baseline and after intervention (up to 4 days)

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Minnesota Executive Function Scale

  baseline and immediately after intervention (up to 4 days)

• Change in Number Line Estimation Task

  baseline and immediately after (up to 4 days)

Study Arms (4)

Size to Number

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Book Reading Intervention

Mixed

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Book Reading Intervention

Traditional Counting

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Behavioral: Book Reading Intervention

Non-Numerical Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Behavioral: Book Reading Intervention

Interventions

Book Reading Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Children read books containing relevant stimuli.

Mixed; Non-Numerical Control; Size to Number; Traditional Counting

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 5 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Child ages 3 - 5

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Dayton: lead

Study Sites (1)

Early Childhood Education Facilities

Dayton, Ohio, 45469, United States

Location

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Mary Wagner
• Organization: University of Dayton

mwagner8@udayton.edu

9372292775

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 19, 2022
• First Posted: January 12, 2023
• Study Start: September 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2023
• Study Completion: June 30, 2023
• Last Updated: October 30, 2025
• Results First Posted: October 30, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL
• Time Frame: Data available when published through the Open Science Framework (OSF).

Locations

US (1)