Clinical trial NCT04631432: Choice Switching and Autism
Official title: Choice Switching and Autism
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Decision Making
Lead sponsor: Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2020-11-17
Enrollment: 114
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: We will recruit participants using websites for recruiting experimental participants worldwide.

Brief summary: The study aims to replicate and clarify a recently observed phenomenon whereby individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) switch between options in a repeated task to a greater extent than healthy controls do. In a meta-analysis a large effect size was found (.37) yet because the effect was noisy in different studies it was not statistically significant. The investigators seek to first examine a very large population through an Internet mediated platform. The sample size will be about the size of all of the previous studies that examined this issue together. Secondly, the investigators wish to understand the discrepancy between this choice switching phenomenon and the recorded tendency of ASD individuals to avoid changing choices. First, the investigators will administer the task in which the effect was found (the Iowa Gambling task) for a longer duration than previously and evaluate whether ASD individuals show increased choice switching in the first blocks of trials but reduced switching following more experience. Secondly, the investigators will administer an additional block of trials without feedback in which participants will not be able to go through a learning process. The investigators predict that this will reduce (and possible flip) the tendency of individuals with ASD to switch choices more often.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* ASD group - Diagnosed with ASD
* Control - No ASD diagnosis: within age and education range of the ASD group.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Demographics: Under 18 years of age.
* Mental health: self reported brain injury and neurological disorder (besides autism).

Primary outcomes:
measure: Mean run size
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Advantageous selections
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Haifa
country: Israel
facility: Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Study officials:
affiliation: Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
name: Dana Zeif, MSc
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: University of Waterloo
name: Ofir Yakobi, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
name: Eldad Yechaim, Professor
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Zeif D, Yechiam E. Autism is not associated with poor or enhanced performance on the Iowa Gambling Task: A Meta-Analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 Jun;113:440-447. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.04.016. Epub 2020 Apr 18.
citation: Bechara A, Damasio AR, Damasio H, Anderson SW. Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex. Cognition. 1994 Apr-Jun;50(1-3):7-15. doi: 10.1016/0010-0277(94)90018-3.
citation: Ozonoff S. Reliability and validity of the Wisconsin card sorting test in studies of autism. Neuropsychology. 1995;9(4):491.
citation: Gaeth GJ, Levin IP, Jain G, Data EV. Toward understanding everyday decision making by adults across the autism spectrum. Judgment and Decision Making. 2016 Nov 1;11(6):537.