Why children with ADHD do not have low IQs.
The major cognitive deficit of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is impaired executive function (EF), a cognitive component that some theorists believe to be the primary substrate for the general intelligence (g) factor. We review the constructs of g and EF and the relevant research findings on ADHD. We then analyze the results of a battery of diverse tests, including measures of EF, administered to 123 boys with ADHD. The correlations among the EF measures, two well-accepted measures of IQ, and the g factor extracted from the entire battery are trivial at best. These results are discussed in the context of collateral evidence supporting the independence of g and EF and its clinical and theoretical implications.
Schuck
Sabrina E B
SE
Irvine Child Development Center, University of California, 92612, USA.
Crinella
Francis M
FM
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D014888:Wechsler Scales