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Applicability of the Stop-Signal Task for Preschoolers With ADHD
Hom-Yi Lee1, Tzu-Feng Wu2, Jeng-Dau Tsai3
1Department of Psychology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taiching City, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taiching City, Taiwan homyilee@gmail.com.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|July 25, 2016
Summary
Preschoolers with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show deficits in stopping responses, indicating attention issues. However, their response inhibition ability may still be developing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Inhibitory deficits are common in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Specific inhibitory control, or the ability to stop an ongoing response, is less understood in preschoolers with ADHD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the response inhibition abilities of preschoolers diagnosed with ADHD using a stop-signal task.
- To compare the performance of children with ADHD to a control group of typically developing preschoolers.
Main Methods:
- Employed the tracking stop-signal task to assess inhibitory control.
- Compared 28 preschoolers with ADHD (mean age 6.1 years) to 31 control children (mean age 6.0 years).
Main Results:
- Preschoolers with ADHD exhibited worse performance on the stop-signal task, evidenced by a higher omission error index, suggesting attention deficits.
- No significant difference was found in stop-signal reaction times between children with ADHD and the control group.
Conclusions:
- Preschool children with ADHD demonstrate impaired inhibitory control, particularly in terms of attentional aspects of response inhibition.
- The capacity for controlled response inhibition in preschoolers with ADHD may not yet be fully mature.
