Multiple task interference is greater in children with ADHD

Joshua B. Ewen; Jeffrey S. Moher; Balaji M. Lakshmanan; Matthew Ryan; Priya Xavier; Nathan E. Crone; Martha B. Denckla; Howard Egeth; E. Mark Mahone

doi:10.1080/87565641.2011.632459

Multiple task interference is greater in children with ADHD

Joshua B. Ewen^*, Jeffrey S. Moher, Balaji M. Lakshmanan, Matthew Ryan, Priya Xavier, Nathan E. Crone, Martha B. Denckla, Howard Egeth, E. Mark Mahone

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

There is considerable lay discussion that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have increased difficulty with multitasking, but there are few experimental data. In the current study, we examine the simultaneous processing of two stimulus-response tasks using the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) effect. We hypothesized that children with ADHD would show a greater PRP effect, suggesting a prolonged "bottleneck" in stimulus-response processing. A total of 19 school-aged children with ADHD showed a prolonged PRP effect compared with 25 control children, suggesting a higher cognitive cost in ADHD for multitasking.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	119-133
Number of pages	15
Journal	Developmental Neuropsychology
Volume	37
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/87565641.2011.632459
State	Published - Feb 1 2012
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Developmental and Educational Psychology

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abstract = "There is considerable lay discussion that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have increased difficulty with multitasking, but there are few experimental data. In the current study, we examine the simultaneous processing of two stimulus-response tasks using the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) effect. We hypothesized that children with ADHD would show a greater PRP effect, suggesting a prolonged {"}bottleneck{"} in stimulus-response processing. A total of 19 school-aged children with ADHD showed a prolonged PRP effect compared with 25 control children, suggesting a higher cognitive cost in ADHD for multitasking.",

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AU - Crone, Nathan E.

AU - Denckla, Martha B.

AU - Egeth, Howard

AU - Mahone, E. Mark

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Multiple task interference is greater in children with ADHD

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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