Using Technology to Promote Mental Acuity

University of Pennsylvania

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 3; Phase 2

Conditions: Mental Acuity

Treatments: Behavioral: Financial incentives; Behavioral: No incentives

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01126021

HS09-634

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study plans to test the effectiveness of behavioral economics based incentives to promote the daily use of computer programs designed to improve memory and mental acuity. Subjects will be recruited from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The primary objective is to determine the impact of structured financial incentives on the number of computer-based cognitive exercises completed during a 3 month intervention period.

Enrollment: 600 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 55 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 55-80 years old

Exclusion criteria

• Unable to read or understand the informed consent form

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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600 participants in 4 patient groups

Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Given access to mental exercises but receives no rewards for use.

Treatment:

Behavioral: No incentives

Atomistic

Experimental group

Description:

Each individual is awarded for his or her individual participation

Treatment:

Behavioral: Financial incentives

Altruistic

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are paired and rewarded according to the other individual's participation.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Financial incentives

Team-based

Experimental group

Description:

Teams compete against each other and receive rewards according to relative participation.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Financial incentives