An Experimental Study on the Impact of AI Use on Cognitive Abilities

Last registered on December 09, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
An Experimental Study on the Impact of AI Use on Cognitive Abilities
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017203
Initial registration date
December 03, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
December 09, 2025, 7:34 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Zeyang Chen
Affiliation
Renmin University of China
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Xiaochun Yu
PI Affiliation
Renmin University of China
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-11-08
End date
2026-06-30
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes integral to daily life, interest in its effects on human cognitive abilities grows. While AI boosts task efficiency, does frequent reliance on AI affect our independent cognitive performance (e.g., information processing)? This study intends to explore the AI use-cognitive performance relationship and the moderating role of individual traits. The experiment will randomly assign participants to AI-access or AI-restricted groups, with cognitive tasks, AI-related trait questionnaires.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Chen, Zeyang and Xiaochun Yu. 2025. "An Experimental Study on the Impact of AI Use on Cognitive Abilities." AEA RCT Registry. December 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17203-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The core intervention of this study revolves around manipulating participants’ access to artificial intelligence (AI) during cognitive task completion.
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups with distinct AI access conditions:
(1) AI-Access Group: Participants in this group will receive explicit permission to use a large language model (LLM) as an aid when completing a set of cognitive tasks. The intervention here involves enabling AI support to observe task performance under AI assistance.
(2) AI-Restricted Group: Participants in this group will face an intervention of no AI access. They will be required to complete the same cognitive tasks independently. To enforce this restriction, the online testing platform will limit screen-switching frequency, ensuring adherence to the no-AI rule.
Intervention Start Date
2025-11-08
Intervention End Date
2026-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Participants’ performance on cognitive tasks, which will be scored via a combined manual and AI review process.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
In AI Treatment, we will analyze the content of prompts written by participants.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
1. Step 1: Introduction & Informed Consent​
At the beginning, participants will receive a clear, plain-language introduction to the experiment. Participants will then be asked to provide informed consent to participate. Only those who agree will move forward with the study.​
2. Step 2: Intervention (AI Access Conditions) & Task Completion​
The intervention focuses on manipulating AI access during cognitive task completion. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups, each with distinct AI access (the core intervention). In AI-Access Group: Permitted to use a large language model (LLM) to assist with completing cognitive tasks (e.g., problem-solving, short-form content creation).​ In AI-Restricted Group: Required to complete the same cognitive tasks independently. Minor platform-based checks (e.g., limited screen-switching) will be used to support adherence to the no-AI rule.​ All participants will finish the full set of cognitive tasks in this phase before moving to surveys.​
3. Step 3: Survey of Daily AI Usage​
This includes questions about how often they use AI tools and how they write prompts.
4. Step 4: Survey of Time Preference​
This includes a short time preference survey.
5. Step 5: Survey of Demographics​
The final survey collects basic demographic information, such as age, education level, and occupation.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization by the server of the survey platform
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
600
Sample size: planned number of observations
600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China
IRB Approval Date
2025-12-02
IRB Approval Number
SLHR20250013
Analysis Plan