Accuracy of self-evaluation in adults with ADHD: evidence from a driving study

Research on children with ADHD indicates an association with inaccuracy of self-appraisal. This study examines the accuracy of self-evaluations in clinic-referred adults diagnosed with ADHD. Self-assessments and performance measures of driving in naturalistic settings and on a virtual-reality driving simulator are used to assess accuracy of self-evaluations. The group diagnosed with ADHD (n= 44) has a higher rate of collisions, speeding tickets, and total driving citations in their driving history; report less use of safe driving behaviors in naturalistic settings; and use fewer safe driving behaviors in the simulator than the community comparison group (n= 44). Despite poorer performance, adults with ADHD provide similar driving self-assessments, thereby overestimating in naturalistic settings to a greater degree than the comparison group. These findings extend research in children with ADHD to an adult sample in an important domain of functioning and may relate to findings of executive deficits associated with ADHD.     

A pilot study of performance in young and middle-aged adults on verbal recall

The objective was to explore whether middle-aged adults (M age = 48.9 yr.; n = 26) differed on verbal recall from young adults (M age = 26.3 yr.; n = 26). Little data exist on the performance of middle-aged, healthy adults. Groups of young and middle-aged adults recalled words from the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test across six trials during a single session. The same 15 words were used for recall in Trials 1-5. Prior to the sixth trial, 15 distractor words were presented. Participants then recalled the original set of 15 words. No significant differences occurred on any of the recall trials. Although the power of this study was low, the effect of age is apparently quite small.     

Nicotine exposure effects on ADHD in young adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

This study investigated whether ingestion of nicotine could enhance cognitive performance in people with ADHD. Participants with ADHD (n = 17) and without ADHD (n = 22) were contrasted for nicotine use. Cognitive performance was measured using selected subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Baseline cognitive performance data were collected prior to experimental nicotine exposure. The ADHD group with nicotine exposure performed significantly better than the non-exposure group post-intervention. Nicotine exposure appears to boost cognitive performance in subjects with ADHD.     

Activity in children with ADHD during waiting situations in the classroom: A pilot study

Background. According to the optimal stimulation theory and the delay aversion hypothesis, children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience difficulties when they are confronted with low levels of stimulation and delay, respectively. Aim. This study investigated the activity level of children with ADHD during waiting situations in the classroom. Three series of hypothesis were made: (1) with respect to the comparison between waiting and non‐waiting intervals, (2) with respect to the effects of non‐temporal stimulation, and (3) with respect to the effects of temporal stimulation on behaviour during waiting. Sample and method. The activity level of 14 children with ADHD and 14 control children between the ages of 6 and 11 years was observed during two non‐waiting class situations and three waiting situations: without any stimulation, in the presence of non‐temporal stimulation and in the presence of temporal stimulation. Results. Both groups of children obtained higher activity scores for all behavioural dimensions during waiting compared with non‐waiting situations. The results further revealed additive effects of waiting and diagnostic group on behaviour. Additional non‐temporal stimulation during waiting affected the behaviour of all children for most behavioural characteristics. For noisiness, additive effects were also found for diagnostic group and either non‐temporal stimulation or temporal stimulation. For restlessness, a trend for an interaction effect between diagnostic group and non‐temporal stimulation was found. Conclusion. The findings have clear implications for school observations within an assessment protocol.     

A pilot investigation on the effects of combination transcranial direct current stimulation and speed of processing cognitive remediation therapy on simulated driving behavior in older adults with HIV

Cognitive impairments seen in people living with HIV (PLWH) are associated with difficulties in everyday functioning, specifically driving. This study utilized speed of processing cognitive remediation therapy (SOP-CRT) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to gauge the feasibility and impact on simulated driving. Thirty PLWH (M_age = 54.53, SD = 3.33) were randomly assigned to either: sham tDCS SOP-CRT or active tDCS SOP-CRT. Seven indicators of simulated driving performance and safety were obtained. Repeated measures ANOVAs controlling for driver’s license status (valid and current license or expired/no license) revealed a large training effect on average driving speed. Participants who received active tDCS SOP-CRT showed a slower average driving speed (p = 0.020, d = 0.972) than those who received sham tDCS SOP-CRT. Non-significant small-to-medium effects were seen for driving violations, collisions, variability in lane positioning, and lane deviations. Combination tDCS SOP-CRT was found to increase indices of cautionary simulated driving behavior. Findings reveal a potential avenue of intervention and rehabilitation for improving driving safety among vulnerable at-risk populations, such as those aging with chronic disease.     

Executive functions and ADHD in adults: evidence for selective effects on ADHD symptom domains

Dual-process models of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggest that both executive functioning and regulatory functions (e.g., processing speed) are involved and that executive function weaknesses may be associated specifically with symptoms of inattention-disorganization but not hyperactivity-impulsivity. Adults aged 18-37 (105 with ADHD, 90 controls) completed a neuropsychological battery. The ADHD group had weaker performance than did the control group (p<.01) on both executive and speed measures. Symptoms of inattention-disorganization were uniquely related to executive functioning with hyperactivity-impulsivity controlled. Inattention was associated with slower response speed, and hyperactivity-impulsivity with faster output speed. Results were not accounted for by IQ, age, gender, education level, or comorbid disorders. Findings are discussed in terms of developmental and dual-process models of ADHD leading into adulthood.     

The effects of computer-assisted instruction on the mathematics performance and classroom behavior of children with ADHD

The present study examines the effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the mathematics performance and classroom behavior of three second-through fourth-grade students with ADHD. A controlled case study is used to evaluate the effects of the computer software on participants' mathematics performance and on-task behavior. Participants' mathematics achievement improve and their on-task behavior increase during the CAI sessions relative to independent seatwork conditions. In addition, students and teachers consider CAI to be an acceptable intervention for some students with ADHD who are having difficulty with mathematics. Implications of these results for practice and research are discussed.     

Retroactive interference and mental practice effects on motor performance: a pilot study

This study examined the effect of similar versus dissimilar retroactive interference on the mental practice effects for performing a novel motor skill. Research has shown that mental practice of a motor task can interfere with learning and performance of the task; however, little is known about how different retroactive interference activities affect mental practice effects. 90 volunteers ages 18 to 51 years (M=26.8, SD=9.6) completed a pre-test and post-test of 10 sets of five trials of a throwing task with the non-preferred hand. In the practice phase, participants mentally practiced the throwing task and then mentally practiced a task that was similar, dissimilar, or completed an unrelated reading task. Performance for all groups improved from pre- to post-test; however, there were no differences in increases for the three groups. The findings suggest that mental practice of similar and dissimilar tasks produced no significant interference in performance.     

A pilot investigation of the effects of stress on neuropsychological performance in Asian-Indians in the United States

The present study evaluated the effects of stress and the ethnicity of the examiner on neuropsychological performance in a sample of Asian-Indian males in the United States. Participants were 60 Asian-Indian college students randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The first factor was level of stress induction and the second was ethnicity of examiners. Results suggested that both stress inducing instructions and examiner ethnicity impacted highly demanding tasks, while moderately difficult tasks were less sensitive to ethnicity of the examiner. Results also indicate that examiners should recognize the potential impact of ethnicity and heightened level of stress when administering and interpreting neuropsychological measures.