Engaging Mental Effort: Process- and Person-Based Reward Experiences, Effort Reinforcement Intervention, and Cascading Effects on Challenging Tasks

Engaging Mental Effort: Process- and Person-Based Reward Experiences, Effort Reinforcement Intervention, and Cascading Effects on Challenging Tasks

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. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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:

1. A matrix completion problem solving task, with options to seek tips for solving problems and options to quit early.
2. A response inhibition task, with options to complete a harder or easier version of the task.
3. A cognitive flexibility task, with options to complete a harder or easier version of the task.
4. A puzzle completion task, with an option to quit early.
5. Answer a set of questions about academic effort
6. Parents will complete a set of questions about how they responded to children's recent successes and failures at school.

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.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Children aged 9.00-13.00 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known or diagnosed developmental disorder (autism, ADHD, other learning disorders or developmental delays)