title: Vulnerability to the Irrelevant Sound Effect in Adult ADHD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An ecologically valid adaptation of the irrelevant sound effect paradigm was employed to examine the relative roles of short-term memory, selective attention, and sustained attention in ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 32 adults with ADHD and 32 control participants completed a serial recall task in silence or while ignoring irrelevant background sound.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serial recall performance in adults with ADHD was reduced relative to controls in both conditions. The degree of interference due to irrelevant sound was greater for adults with ADHD. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between task performance under conditions of irrelevant sound and the extent of attentional problems reported by patients on a clinical symptom scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrate that adults with ADHD exhibit impaired short-term memory and a low resistance to distraction; however, their capacity for sustained attention is preserved as the impact of irrelevant sound diminished over the course of the task.
authors.affiliation: Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, Canada marie-france.pelletier@institutsmq.qc.ca.
authors.forename: Marie-France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.affiliation: Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK.
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hodgetts
authors.affiliation: Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lafleur
authors.affiliation: Centre médical l'Hêtrière, Clinique Focus, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Canada.
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.affiliation: Université Laval, Québec City, Canada.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tremblay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001307:Auditory Perception; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013016:Sound; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
keywords: adult ADHD; irrelevant sound effect; selective attention; short-term memory; sustained attention