Clinical trial NCT04823338: Conectar Jugando Online: Board Games to Improve Executive Function in School-age Children (CJ-Online)
Official title: Conectar Jugando Online: Effectiveness of an Online Modern Board Game-based Cognitive Training to Improve Executive Function in School-age Children by a Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Cognitive Change
Child Development
Keywords: executive function
modern board and card games
cognitive training
school-age children
Lead sponsor: Brain In Game scientific-technical service
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Atención, Familia, Infancia, Mayores (AFIM21)
name: Mercurio Distribuciones
First posted: 2021-03-30
Enrollment: 35
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 6
Maximum age (years): 12
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Interventional (Clinical trial)
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Good development of executive functions at school has been related to a better adaptation of children in different areas of their daily life and, especially, with adequate academic performance. Taking into account the importance of play in childhood, some interventions aimed at training these cognitive processes have been based on the use of playful elements, such as modern board games. Although it is still an unexplored field of research, some studies with older elementary school children and with ADHD children have found significant improvements in executive functions after training that had the board game as a key intervention element. However, we still do not have studies that have explored the possible cognitive benefits of its use throughout the primary stage with the general population. For this reason, the main objective of this study is to test the effectiveness of a cognitive training program based on modern board games in primary education children (6 to 12 years old).

Detailed description: As hypotheses, it is established that: i) the experimental group will present a significantly greater improvement in the neuropsychological tasks that measure executive functions and associated cognitive processes compared to the passive control group after the intervention; ii) the experimental group will present a significantly greater improvement in the tests evaluated by their parents after the intervention compared to the passive control group. All hypotheses will be controlled for age, estimate of IQ and socioeconomic status, as well as previous experience in board games and other cognitive activities.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* be enrolled in a public, private or subsidized ordinary educational center
* provide informed consent from both parents and the participant's agreement to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* comprehension difficulties due to language reasons
* sensory difficulties that make it impossible to carry out the program activities
* not having the necessary equipment to monitor the sessions online

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in verbal updating from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
measure: Change in visuospatial updating from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
measure: Change in inhibition from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
measure: Change in cognitive flexibility from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
measure: Change in reasoning from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
measure: Change in verbal fluency from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in behavioral executive functions from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
measure: Change in emotional and behavioral problems from baseline to post intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
Other outcomes:
measure: Time spent on less-structured activities
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Player satisfaction
timeFrame: During the intervention
measure: Sociodemographic data (age, sex, school year and socioeconomic status)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Parent Play Beliefs
timeFrame: Baseline and post intervention (after 6 weeks)
Locations:
city: Lleida
country: Spain
facility: Faculty of Education, Psychology and Social Work; University of Lleida
Study officials:
References:
citation: Benzing V, Schmidt M, Jager K, Egger F, Conzelmann A, Roebers CM. A classroom intervention to improve executive functions in late primary school children: Too 'old' for improvements? Br J Educ Psychol. 2019 Jun;89(2):225-238. doi: 10.1111/bjep.12232. Epub 2018 Jun 26.
citation: Diamond A. Executive functions. Annu Rev Psychol. 2013;64:135-68. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750. Epub 2012 Sep 27.
citation: Estrada-Plana V, Esquerda M, Mangues R, March-Llanes J, Moya-Higueras J. A Pilot Study of the Efficacy of a Cognitive Training Based on Board Games in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Games Health J. 2019 Aug;8(4):265-274. doi: 10.1089/g4h.2018.0051. Epub 2019 Jan 17.
citation: Fadhli, M., Brick, B., Setyosari, P., Ulfa, S., & Kuswandi, D. (2020). A Meta-Analysis of Selected Studies on the Effectiveness of Gamification Method for Children. International Journal of Instruction, 13(1), 845-854. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13154a