The Impact of a Concurrent Auditory Stimulus on Attentional Processes in Children with ADHD

The Impact of a Concurrent Auditory Stimulus on Attentional Processes in Children with ADHD
Author: Rosemary Anne Allen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that can have a significant impact on multiple facets of a child's life. Children with ADHD are generally considered to be more susceptible to distraction than other children; however, recent research has suggested that under certain circumstances, concurrent noise (e.g., music or white noise) may improve academic and cognitive performance in children with ADHD (Abikoff, Courtney, Szeibel, & Koplewicz, 1996; Pelham et al., 2011; Söderlund, Sikström, & Smart, 2007). These studies were not able to draw conclusions about which underlying cognitive processes may be improving with the addition of a concurrent auditory stimulus. This thesis contributes to current knowledge by investigating the impact of a concurrent auditory stimulus on attention in children with ADHD, as measured by performance on computer-based attention tasks. We are interested in whether a possible improvement in basic attentional processes could account for the improvements task performance observed in previous studies. The aim of the current thesis was to start to tease out which attentional processes, if any, may benefit from the presence of concurrent auditory stimulus such as white noise. Twenty-eight children with a diagnosis of ADHD-PI or ADHD-C were administered a battery of computer-based attention tasks under two noise conditions: a classroom noise only condition, and a classroom noise + white noise condition. The white noise stimulus comprised sounds of rain, administered using an iPhone application called Sleep Machine. The test battery consisted of four tasks assessing different types of attention - selective attention, sustained attention/vigilance, and aspects of executive attention (response inhibition and conflict resolution). White noise had no impact on children's performance on the task measuring response inhibition. For two of the attention tasks, the effects of white noise differed for medicated and non-medication children. Overall, a pattern emerged on the visual search and continuous performance tasks that suggested that white noise could improve attention in children with ADHD who are on stimulant medication (i.e., beneficial as an adjunct to medication). Further research is needed to clarify the impact of white noise on attentional processes for non-medicated children with ADHD. For the two executive attention tasks, a Go/no-go task and a Simon task, the white noise had no meaningful impact on task performance.

The Effects of Auditory Stimulation on Academic and Behavior Performance in Children With and Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The Effects of Auditory Stimulation on Academic and Behavior Performance in Children With and Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Author: Penny L. Sneddon
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2004
Genre:
ISBN:

This study evaluated the relationship between noise and academic performance and behavior of children with ADHD (n = 15) and without ADHD (n = 18). Children completed math sheets under four noise conditions: no noise, standard classroom noise, classroom noise with verbalizations, and classroom noise with classical music. There were no differences in math performance between the two groups. Children with ADHD exhibited more problem behaviors than children without ADHD. Group-by-condition interactions were not significant. Significant effects were found for noise condition; children completed more math problems and had fewer inappropriate behaviors in the no-noise condition. However, there were significant order effects with children performing better on the initial task. The no-noise condition was always presented first; other conditions were randomized. Thus, it is impossible to determine if improved performance was due to decreased environmental stimulation or initial performance effects. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Auditory and Visual Sustained Attention on Tasks with Varied Motivation and Cognitive Loads in Children with and Without ADHD

Auditory and Visual Sustained Attention on Tasks with Varied Motivation and Cognitive Loads in Children with and Without ADHD
Author: Emily L. Russell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2015
Genre: Attention in children
ISBN:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common condition that can make tasks difficult for the children affected, particularly in a school environment. Continuous performance tasks are one means of evaluating sustained attention in children with and without ADHD. Traditional continuous performance tasks performed without background noise have failed to separate children with ADHD from children without ADHD. It has been theorized that children with ADHD are more susceptible to the negative effects of reduced perceptual saliency, and require more motivation (feedback) than children without ADHD. The following study aimed to test the effects of varying motivation and perceptual saliency on continuous performance tasks in children with and without ADHD and in adults without ADHD. Four sustained attention tasks were created: an auditory task with varied feedback, an auditory task with varied perceptual saliency, a visual task with varied feedback, and a visual task with varied perceptual saliency. Each task required the participants to respond to a target word or picture while ignoring non-target words and pictures. Errors types (inattention, impulsivity, total errors, and reaction time) were recorded for each task, as well as changes in error rates across the testing session. Results were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Overall results indicated many differences between children and adults. In tasks with varied feedback, differences were found between the two groups of children in only the conditions with no feedback and when there was a longer delay between the response and feedback. In tasks with varied perceptual saliency, significant differences were found between the groups of children in the auditory task with a -5 signal to noise ratio. Differences in performance across tasks (vigilance decrements) were found in all three groups. Overall, findings from this study were consistent with predictions that children with ADHD may need increased feedback to perform as well as peers without ADHD, and that they may have greater difficulty performing tasks with lowered perceptual saliency. This is an important consideration for ADHD management, diagnosis, and research. In addition, further research into the role of vigilance decrement in children with ADHD is warranted.

Index Medicus

Index Medicus
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 2432
Release: 2004
Genre: Medicine
ISBN:

Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.

The Oxford Handbook of Attention

The Oxford Handbook of Attention
Author: Kia Nobre
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 1260
Release: 2018
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 019882467X

During the last three decades, there have been enormous advances in our understanding of the neural mechanisms of selective attention at the network as well as the cellular level. The Oxford Handbook of Attention brings together the different research areas that constitute contemporary attention research into one comprehensive and authoritative volume. In 40 chapters, it covers the most important aspects of attention research from the areas of cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, human and animal neuroscience, computational modelling, and philosophy. The book is divided into 4 main sections. Following an introduction from Michael Posner, the books starts by looking at theoretical models of attention. The next two sections are dedicated to spatial attention and non-spatial attention respectively. Within section 4, the authors consider the interactions between attention and other psychological domains. The last two sections focus on attention-related disorders, and finally, on computational models of attention. Aimed at both scholars and students, the Oxford Handbook of Attention provides a concise and state-of-the-art review of the current literature in this field.

The Impact of Sensory, Linguistic and Social Deprivation on Cognition

The Impact of Sensory, Linguistic and Social Deprivation on Cognition
Author: Matthew Dye
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2017-12-21
Genre:
ISBN: 2889453545

Early experience plays a crucial role in determining the trajectory of cognitive development. For example, early sensory deprivation is known to induce neural reorganization by way of adaptation to the altered sensory experience. Neville and Bavelier’s “compensatory theory’’ hypothesizes that loss of one sense may bring about a sensory enhancement in the remaining modalities. Sensory deprivation will, however, also impact the age of emergence, or the speed of acquisition of cognitive abilities that depend upon sensory inputs. Understanding how a child’s early environment shapes their cognition is not only of theoretical interest. It is essential for the development of early intervention programs that address not just the early deprivation itself, but also the cognitive sequelae of such deprivation. The articles in this e-book all address different aspects of deprivation - sensory, linguistic, and social - and explore the impacts of such deprivation on a wide range of cognitive outcomes. In reading these contributions, it is important to note that sensory, linguistic, and social deprivation are not independent factors in human experience. For example, a child born deaf into a hearing family is likely to experience delays in exposure to natural language, with subsequent limits on their linguistic competence having an effect on social interactions and inclusion: a child raised in environments where social interaction is highly limited is also likely to experience reductions in the quantity and quality of linguistic inputs. Future work will need to carefully examine the complex interactions between the sensory, linguistic and social environments of children raised in atypical or impoverished environments.

Multitasking: Executive Functioning in Dual-Task and Task Switching Situations

Multitasking: Executive Functioning in Dual-Task and Task Switching Situations
Author: Tilo Strobach
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2018-03-27
Genre:
ISBN: 2889454533

Multitasking refers to performance of multiple tasks. The most prominent types of multitasking are situations including either temporal overlap of the execution of multiple tasks (i.e., dual tasking) or executing multiple tasks in varying sequences (i.e., task switching). In the literature, numerous attempts have aimed at theorizing about the specific characteristics of executive functions that control interference between simultaneously and/or sequentially active component of task-sets in these situations. However, these approaches have been rather vague regarding explanatory concepts (e.g., task-set inhibition, preparation, shielding, capacity limitation), widely lacking theories on detailed mechanisms and/ or empirical evidence for specific subcomponents. The present research topic aims at providing a selection of contributions on the details of executive functioning in dual-task and task switching situations. The contributions specify these executive functions by focusing on (1) fractionating assumed mechanisms into constituent subcomponents, (2) their variations by age or in clinical subpopulations, and/ or (3) their plasticity as a response to practice and training.