title: Color vision in ADHD: part 2--does attention influence color perception?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the impact of exogenous covert attention on chromatic (blue and red) and achromatic visual perception in adults with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Exogenous covert attention, which is a transient, automatic, stimulus-driven form of attention, is a key mechanism for selecting relevant information in visual arrays.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 adults diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy adults, matched on age and gender, performed a psychophysical task designed to measure the effects of exogenous covert attention on perceived color saturation (blue, red) and contrast sensitivity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The effects of exogenous covert attention on perceived blue and red saturation levels and contrast sensitivity were similar in both groups, with no differences between males and females. Specifically, exogenous covert attention enhanced the perception of blue saturation and contrast sensitivity, but it had no effect on the perception of red saturation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that exogenous covert attention is intact in adults with ADHD and does not account for the observed impairments in the perception of chromatic (blue and red) saturation.
authors.forename: Soyeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Haj
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Umesh
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology & Human Development, OISE, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto M5S 1V6, Ontario, Canada. rosemary.tannock@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tannock
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D003116:Color; D003118:Color Perception; D055253:Color Vision; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult