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The Illusion of AI Empowerment and Professional Decision-Making in Journalism: A Neurocognitive Investigation

The Illusion of AI Empowerment and Professional Decision-Making in Journalism: A Neurocognitive Investigation

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ChiCTR
Registry ID
ChiCTR2600115879
Enrollment
Unknown
Registered
2026-01-01
Start date
2026-01-01
Completion date
Unknown
Last updated
2026-01-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy Volunteers

Interventions

Experimental Group (AI-Assisted Group):AI System Assistance and Withdrawal The experiment consists of two phases. Phase 1 : In the "News Creative Generation" task, participants use a simulated high-in
participants only need to confirm them. This aims to establish a state of low cognitive load and high self-efficacy (i.e., "empowerment illusion"). Phase 2 : The AI system goes offline (assistance wit
Control Group (Manual Control Group):Conventional Cognitive Task without AI Assistance The experiment consists of two phases with no AI intervention throughout. Phase 1: Participants complete the "New

Sponsors

Chengdu Sports University
Lead Sponsor

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 35 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 18-35 years. 2. Senior students majoring in Journalism and Communication and media practitioners with more than 1 year of experience. 3. Right-handed. 4. Normal or corrected-to-normal vision. 5. No history of neurological or psychiatric disorders.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Participants with metal implants or trauma in the head who are unable to wear the optode cap. 2. Recent use of psychotropic medications or alcohol dependence. 3. Inability to cooperate with or complete the 40-minute experimental session.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Oxygen-bound hemoglobin concentration;Frontal Asymmetry Index;DLPFC-mPFC Functional Connectivity Strength;Realistic News Decision Performance Score;

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Self-Assessed Psychological State and AI Dependency;

Countries

China

Contacts

Public ContactLiu Linsha

School of Journalism and Communication, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan

liulinsha@swjtu.edu.cn+86 136 7818 9496

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ChiCTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026