Examining Executive Functions in Medical Students Across Different Types of Study Breaks

NCT06710678 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: NYIT IRB-2025-152
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief 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. 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.

Conditions

Executive Function (Cognition)

Keywords

study breaks; social media; executive function; memory; medical students

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 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.

  from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Stroop Task

  from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day

• List Learning Task

  from enrollment until the end of their partipation which lasts one day

Study Arms (3)

Social Media Study Break

EXPERIMENTAL

Medical students will engage in a 10 minute social media study break

Behavioral: Social Media Study Break

Physical Activity Study Break

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Medical student will engage in a 10 minute light physical activity study break

Behavioral: Physical Activity Study Break

No study break

NO INTERVENTION

Medical students will continue to study instead of a break

Interventions

Physical Activity Study Break BEHAVIORAL

A 10-minute walking/upper extremity light movement indoor break from study session

Physical Activity Study Break

Social Media Study Break BEHAVIORAL

Participants will engage in social media use/engagement during a 10-minute study session break

Social Media Study Break

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• have and regularly use some form of social media
• able to perform light physical activity such as walking or upper body movement

You may not qualify if:

• 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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New York Institute of Technology: lead

Study Sites (1)

NYIT

Old Westbury, New York, 11568, United States

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Amber Sousa, PhD

  NYIT COM

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Amber Sousa, PhD

CONTACT

516-686-7698; asousa@nyit.edu

Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue, PhD

CONTACT

516-686-1300; jdonoghu@nyit.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 21, 2024
• First Posted: November 29, 2024
• Study Start: November 19, 2024
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2025
• Study Completion: August 1, 2025
• Last Updated: November 29, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)