Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Using Brain Activation (nir-HEG/Q-EEG) and Execution Measures (CPTs) in a ADHD Assessment Protocol
Published on: April 1, 2018
Visual behaviour of ADHD children during an attention test: an almost forgotten variable. Attention-Deficit
1University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may miss fewer stimuli when tests have predictable timing. However, their test accuracy suffers when stimuli are unpredictable due to looking away behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with various cognitive and behavioral challenges.
- Previous research suggests that individuals with ADHD may exhibit differences in visual attention and task engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of "looking away" behavior in children with ADHD on their performance in Continuous Performance Tests (CPTs).
- To determine if the predictability of stimuli influences the relationship between looking away behavior and task accuracy in ADHD.
Main Methods:
- Children diagnosed with ADHD and typically developing children completed two CPTs: one with a regular interstimulus interval (ISI) and one with an irregular ISI.
- Participants were instructed to respond to target stimuli presented on a monitor.
- Visual behavior was meticulously recorded and analyzed offline to assess "looking away" patterns.
Main Results:
- ADHD children strategically timed "looking away" during regular ISI CPTs, successfully avoiding missed stimuli.
- In irregular ISI CPTs, "looking away" significantly impaired task accuracy for children with ADHD.
- The "looking away" behavior was not correlated with the slower reaction times observed in ADHD children.
Conclusions:
- "Looking away" behavior negatively affects the test performance accuracy of children with ADHD, particularly when stimuli are unpredictable.
- The observed slowness in ADHD children's reaction times is unlikely to be explained by their visual attention patterns during CPTs.
Abstract:
The goal of this study was to examine whether looking away behaviour of ADHD children interferes with their test performance. ADHD and normal children carried out two continuous performance tests (CPTs): one with a regular interstimulus interval (ISI), and the other with an irregular ISI. Children were instructed to push a response button when a target stimulus was presented on the monitor. The children's visual behaviour was recorded and scored offline. A micro-analysis of the visual behaviour indicated that ADHD children timed their looking away behaviour in the regular CPT: i.e. they looked away from the monitor and back in the interval between two succeeding stimuli. As a result they did not miss stimuli. Timing of looking away was less possible in the CPT with the irregular ISI. In this condition, looking away interfered with the ADHD children's task accuracy. In sum, looking away behaviour had a negative effect on the accuracy of test performance of ADHD children when stimuli were unpredictable. Looking away behaviour was not associated with the slower reaction times of the ADHD children. Hence, the often reported slowness of ADHD children is not to be explained by their visual behaviour.
More Related Videos
05:32Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos
Published on: December 7, 2018
05:48The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
