N/A
N=163
Effect of Emotion Mindsets on Emotion Processing
Emotions
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03978871 ↗Enrolled (actual)
163
Serious AEs
—
Results posted
Apr 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: Mean Change From Pre to Post Mindset Manipulation on Emotion Mindset Scale (Measures Beliefs About Whether Emotions Are Fixed or Malleable) — 3.03; 3.03; 2.17; 2.76 score on a scale — p=<0.001
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Growth Mindset (Behavioral); Brain Education (Behavioral)
- Age
- Pediatric, Adult · 13+ yrs
- Sex
- Female
- Sponsor
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Primary completion
- Jun 2022
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Mean Change From Pre to Post Mindset Manipulation on Emotion Mindset Scale (Measures Beliefs About Whether Emotions Are Fixed or Malleable) |
3.03; 3.03; 2.17; 2.76 | <0.001 sig |
| PRIMARY Mean Change From Pre to Post Mindset Manipulation on Emotional Self-efficacy Scale (Measure Beliefs About Ability to Control Emotions) |
3.53; 3.34; 3.79; 3.40 | 0.023 sig |
| PRIMARY Mean Change From Pre to Post Mindset Manipulation on Emotional Self-efficacy Vignettes (Measure Beliefs About Ability to Control Emotions in Specific Situations) |
2.89; 2.70; 3.16; 2.72 | <.001 sig |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference in Performance on Go/Nogo Task- Reaction Time |
427.40; 433.44; 423.37; 431.78; 430.37; 434.35 | 0.227 |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference in Performance on Go/Nogo Task- Accuracy |
0.63; 0.60; 0.64; 0.62; 0.65; 0.63 | 0.272 |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference in Emotion Regulation Strategies on the Emotion Regulation Strategy Scale |
2.54; 2.75; 3.05; 2.71; 2.77; 2.63 | 0.217 |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference in Parameter Estimates of BOLD Signal for Amygdala Activation- Social Evaluation Task |
0.04; -0.01 | 0.265 |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference in Parameter Estimates of BOLD Signal for Amygdala Activation- Go/No-go Task |
0.49; 0.49 | 0.96 |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference in Parameter Estimates of BOLD Signal for Frontal Parietal Network-Amygdala Connectivity- Social Evaluation Task |
0.01; -0.01 | 0.76 |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference in Parameter Estimates of BOLD Signal for Frontal Parietal Network-Amygdala Connectivity- Go/No-go Task |
-0.17; 0.01 | .048 sig |
| PRIMARY Mean Change on Self-Reported State Negative Affect |
6.93; 8.00; 15.05; 16.51 | 0.833 |
| PRIMARY Mean Difference on Self-Reported Affect on Social Evaluation Task |
4.34; 4.28; 1.61; 1.61; 3.49; 3.45 | 0.321 |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 2 Months in Emotion Mindset Scale Scores |
3.03; 3.03; 2.74; 3.17 | 0.002 sig |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 4 Months in Emotion Mindset Scores |
3.03; 3.03; 2.80; 3.11 | .033 sig |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 2 Months in Emotional Self-efficacy Scale Scores (Measure Beliefs About Ability to Control Emotions) |
3.64; 3.38; 3.55; 3.40 | 0.403 |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 4 Months in Emotional Self-efficacy Scale Scores (Measure Beliefs About Ability to Control Emotions) |
3.64; 3.37; 3.63; 3.39 | 0.784 |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 2 Months in Emotional Self-efficacy Vignettes Scores |
2.95; 2.70; 2.93; 2.69 | 0.916 |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 4 Months in Emotional Self-efficacy Vignettes Scores |
2.95; 2.71; 3.19; 2.74 | 0.048 sig |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 2 Months in Self-Reported Emotion Regulation Strategies Scores |
2.97; 2.69; 3.07; 2.85; 2.40; 2.45 | 0.566 |
| SECONDARY Mean Change From Baseline to 4 Months in Self-Reported Emotion Regulation Strategies Scores |
2.96; 2.73; 3.12; 2.78; 2.42; 2.49 | 0.363 |
Summary
The guiding scientific premise for this research is that a growth emotion mindset will promote more adaptive emotion processing than a fixed emotion mindset. Because emotional sensitivity is particularly salient in adolescent girls, we will focus on this group. Using an experimental design, adolescent girls will be randomly assigned to either a mindset manipulation or a control group (brain education). Each group will complete a 25-minute computer-based lesson followed by a social stressor and a functional magnetic resonance imaging session. Two specific aims will be addressed: (1) to determine whether a growth mindset induction, relative to a control condition, predicts more adaptive emotion processing at the neural, behavioral, and psychological levels of processing; and (2) to determine whether neural processing of emotion accounts for the effect of a growth emotion mindset manipulation on behavioral and psychological processing of emotion. This study builds on a strong empirical database establishing the effect of mindsets on multiple domains of functioning but will be the first to examine the implications of a growth vs. fixed mindset about emotion for emotion processing in adolescent girls, thereby elucidating one specific youth attribute that can support or disrupt emotional development.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Female age 13-18 years old
- Over-sample (approximately 1/3 of sample) for score >= .75 standard deviation (SD) on a screening measure of fixed mindset about emotion
- English-speaking
- Ability to independently complete tasks and measures
Exclusion Criteria
- History of surgery involving metal implants
- Possible metal fragments in the eyes or other parts of body
- Pacemaker
- A history of claustrophobia
- Braces
- Weighing over 250 pounds
- Pregnancy or possibility of being pregnant
- Severe medical conditions (e.g., blind or deaf, head trauma)
- Learning disability or other condition that interferes with ability to complete tasks
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03978871). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.