title: Cognitive control in children with ADHD-C: how efficient are they?
abstract: The literature on children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, combined type (ADHD-C), is currently inconclusive as to the nature of deficits in two forms of cognitive control - interference control and response selection (Nigg, 2006). This paper examined the performance of children with ADHD-C on interference control and response selection conflict tasks that required both speed and accuracy. The data was analyzed utilizing a new efficiency method to more effectively analyze overall responses. Both interference control and response selection conditions were combined within tasks allowing for a closer comparison of how children with ADHD-C perform on these specific types of cognitive control. Computerized tasks were administered to 62 boys, ages 7 to 12 (31 controls, 31 ADHD-C). Results revealed deficits in efficient performance for children with ADHD-C on interference control tasks and response selection tasks hypothesized to involve high cognitive control demand. These results highlight the utility of analyzing efficiency data to identify deficits in performance for children with ADHD-C and to foster an increased understanding of cognitive control functioning in this clinical population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Kate D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.forename: Karin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Brocki
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kerns
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003201:Computers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D012720:Severity of Illness Index