NCT05678634 Optimizing Feedback-based Learning in Children With Developmental Language Disorder
| NCT ID | NCT05678634 |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | — |
| Sponsor | MGH Institute of Health Professions |
| Condition | Developmental Language Disorder |
| Study Type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Enrollment | 100 participants |
| Start Date | 2023-07-20 |
| Primary Completion | 2027-10-01 |
Eligibility & Interventions
Eligibility Fast-Check
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What to Expect as a Participant
You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.
This trial targets 100 participants in total. It began in 2023-07-20 with a primary completion date of 2027-10-01.
⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
Brief Summary
This project aims to optimize a critical but understudied ingredient of language intervention provided to children with developmental language disorder (DLD) - feedback. The project will bridge a gap between previous findings in our lab of inefficient feedback processing in DLD and clinical practice by identifying the conditions under which feedback-based learning can be improved in DLD. The investigators hypothesize that the effectiveness of feedback can be significantly enhanced for children with DLD when it is tailored to their unique learning strengths. The rationale for this project is based on evidence that feedback-based learning can be improved by enhancing the dominance of an intact learning system. The project will achieve its aim by manipulating (1) the timing of the feedback (immediate vs. delayed) and (2) the level of the learner's involvement in error correction dictated by feedback (active vs. passive correction). Aim 1 will determine the effect of manipulating feedback timing on learning in 140 school-age children (8-12 years) with DLD. While immediate feedback is processed by the striatum, which is also implicated in implicit learning, delaying the feedback by a few seconds shifts feedback processing to the mediate temporal lobe (MTL)-based declarative learning system. Evidence that delaying feedback improves learning in DLD would support the hypothesis of the implicit deficit theory that intervention should capitalize on declarative learning mechanisms. The project will test a novel alternative feedback-learning parity hypothesis whereby feedback-based learning is optimized when the timing of the feedback is aligned with the dominant learning system at a given time (i.e., immediate feedback during striatal-based probabilistic learning; delayed feedback during MTL-based declarative learning). Within the same group of children, Aim 2 will compare feedback-based learning in children with DLD when feedback (a) prompts active self-correction or (b) passively exposes learners to error corrections (corrective recast). Children will engage in two nonword-object paired-associate learning tasks. In one task, feedback will promote active self-correction, which is in line with declarative learning. In the other task, feedback will passively expose the learner to corrective feedback in a manner consistent with teaching approaches aiming at reducing awareness of errors. The project will determine whether children with DLD learn better when feedback prompts self-correction or when they are exposed to passive corrections. Electrophysiological measures will indicate whether passive corrections (corrective recast) are processed as negative feedback by children with DLD. For both aims, behavioral indicators of response to feedback will be complemented by electrophysiological measures of feedback processing that can determine the involvement of the striatum and MTL brain systems during the learning process. This work is scientifically and clinically significant because elucidating what manipulations optimize feedback-based learning will enhance our understanding of the impaired learning mechanism in DLD and will provide clinical guidance on what type of feedback to use during an intervention.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * English as the primary language Nonverbal intelligence quotient (IQ) score on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-5th Edition (WISC-V) Standard Score \>70 Identification Core score on the Test of Integrated Language \& Literacy Skills (TILLS) equal to or less than 34 Exclusion Criteria: * Hearing loss or other known neurological deficits, or diagnoses (e.g., Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury) * Evidence of color blindness as measured by the EnChroma computer base color blindness screening test for children
Contact & Investigator
Yael Arbel, PhD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join the NCT05678634 clinical trial?
This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 8 Years or older, up to 12 Years, studying Developmental Language Disorder. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.
Is NCT05678634 currently recruiting?
Yes, NCT05678634 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at cnglead@mghihp.edu for enrollment information.
Where is the NCT05678634 trial being conducted?
This trial is being conducted at Boston, United States.
Who is sponsoring the NCT05678634 clinical trial?
NCT05678634 is sponsored by MGH Institute of Health Professions. The principal investigator is Yael Arbel, PhD at MGH Institute of Health Professions. The trial plans to enroll 100 participants.