NCT04243759

Inhibitory Control Smartphone App

A Smartphone App to Capture Inhibitory Control as a Novel Moderate Drinking Tool for Young Adults

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 53 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Florida · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 21 Years – 25 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The proposed study will address a critical knowledge gap: there are no evidence-based smartphone apps for reducing young adult drinking. The purpose of the study is to test alcohol-related smartphone applications designed to provide assistance during actual drinking situations to help young adults reduce their drinking. It is the researchers hypothesis that participants will self-administer less alcohol when using the experimental app with feedback.

Detailed description

An app giving in-the-moment feedback could increase perceived impairment, and reduce drinking and consequences. The cued go/no-go (CGNG) task is an ideal choice for in-the-moment impairment feedback. Its instructions are simple; practice effects are minimal; and is sensitive to alcohol. The CGNG tests ability to respond fast to "go" targets (activation) while withholding response to "no-go" targets (inhibition). Activation/inhibition tension is externally valid. Dual process models posit risk behaviors stem from overactive appetitive drives that are compelling and hard to inhibit. Poor CGNG performance post-alcohol has been related to poor simulated driving, enhancing external validity. Moderate dosing to .05-.06% blood alcohol content (BAC) reliably increases inhibition errors, but slowing reaction time (RT) to "go" cues requires higher doses. RT to go cues often recovers later in a drinking episode (acute tolerance) but ability to inhibit does not. Thus at this BAC, ability to respond remains but inhibition is impaired, which relates to risk behaviors like DUI as young adults underrate impairment.

Conditions

• Drinking, Alcohol
• Drinking Behavior

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Control App Version	The control version is a smartphone-compatible CGNG. The cued go/no-go (CGNG) tests ability to respond fast to "go" targets (activation) while withholding response to "no-go" targets (inhibition).
BEHAVIORAL	Standard App Version	The standard version is the same as the control version with the exception that information about performance (correct or incorrect) is displayed along with RT in ms for a correct response during each inter-trial interval.
BEHAVIORAL	Experimental, Feedback App Version	The experimental, feedback version includes the standard plus feedback on RT and inhibition errors compared to pre-drinking. The app will state that there are simple alternatives with invitation to press a box to view advice, based on research that risk information may increase risky behavior if convenient options are not given73. Feedback will be worded non-judgmentally per motivational interviewing tenets.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-11-09
• Primary completion: 2023-05-31
• Completion: 2024-05-31
• First posted: 2020-01-28
• Last updated: 2025-05-30
• Results posted: 2025-05-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States