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Published on: September 27, 2020
Explanatory style and college students with ADHD and LD
1Department of Psychology, Landmark College, Putney, VT 05346, USA. sshmulsky@landmark.edu
Objective:
This study uses the Attribution Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to measure the causal thinking of 42 college students with diagnosed language-based learning disabilities (LD), ADHD, or co-occurring ADHD and LD. Attribution style, or explanatory style, is a term used to describe the tendencies of individuals to think that the causes of meaningful events are internal or external, global or specific, and stable or unstable.
Method:
No significant differences in explanatory styles are found among the three subgroups. The study also investigates whether there is a relationship between explanatory style and grades.
Results:
Significant positive correlations are found between ASQ scores and grade point averages for the subgroup with co-occurring ADHD and LD and for the three subgroups combined.
Conclusion:
These findings are significant because they continue to clarify factors related to the postsecondary success of students with LD and attention deficit disorders.
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