Sustained attention and grade retention.
Two studies are reported which explore the possible relationship between academic failure, as measured by grade retention, and the capacity to sustain attention on a computerized continuous performance task. In a nonreferred sample, 89 children who had been retained at some point in their academic careers showed a higher frequency of abnormal scores on an index of sustained attention than did 93 children who had never repeated a grade. In a sample of children who had been referred for an evaluation of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, children with a history of grade retention had significantly lower scores on the same measure of sustained attention. Results are discussed in terms of the possible contribution of attention deficits to over-all academic achievement, even for children who have not necessarily been referred for a clinical evaluation.
SUNY Health Science Center, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Syracuse 13214.
M
M
Gordon
B B
BB
Mettelman
M
M
Irwin
D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012016:Reference Values