Effects of event rate and display time on sustained attention in hyperactive, normal, and control children

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether hyperactive boys have a unique deficit in sustained attention. Groups with DSM-III diagnoses of attention deficit disorder (ADDH), conduct disorder (CD), ADDH + CD, and learning disorder were compared with normal controls on the Continuous Performa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of abnormal child psychology 1989-08, Vol.17 (4), p.371-391
Main Authors: CHEE, P, LOGAN, G, SCHACHAR, R, LINDSAY, P, WACHSMUTH, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arousal
Attention
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology
Attention Deficit Disorders
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child Behavior Disorders - psychology
Child clinical studies
Children & youth
Discrimination Learning
Form Perception
Humans
Hyperactivity
Learning Disorders - psychology
Male
Males
Medical sciences
Mental disorders
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychomotor Performance
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Reaction Time
Social research
Stimuli
Time on Task
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Summary:Two experiments were conducted to determine whether hyperactive boys have a unique deficit in sustained attention. Groups with DSM-III diagnoses of attention deficit disorder (ADDH), conduct disorder (CD), ADDH + CD, and learning disorder were compared with normal controls on the Continuous Performance Task. In Experiment 1, stimulus presentation rate (stimulus onset asynchrony, SOA) and display time were varied to manipulate attentional demand, and speed and accuracy of performance were measured. The ADDH group was uniquely affected, with less accurate performance at the fastest and slowest SOA. To distinguish the effects of time on task and SOA, the duration of each SOA condition was held constant in Experiment 2. The poorer performance of the ADDH group at the fastest SOA was no longer evident. This finding indicates that the deficit of sustained attention in boys who have ADDH is associated with a greater susceptibility to refractory effects, which is influenced by practice.
ISSN:0091-0627
2730-7166
1573-2835
2730-7174
DOI:10.1007/bf00915033